A Prayer Too Late
by Fluffy11698
Summary: Castiel runs away with someone he feels strongly for, but later regrets the decision when he is abused. Who will save him? Destiel! Dean/Castiel AU. Rated M for later chapters.
1. Prologue

**Chapter Rating: K+ or T (at most)  
Chapter Wordcount: 2,000  
Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Supernatural characters, they belong to Eric Kripke (whose work I love).**

* * *

There is much to say about a boy named Castiel Novak, who never once seemed to fit in anywhere he went. Maybe it had something to do with his background, or maybe it had something to do with how everything came into play later in his life. He would never quite know. Castiel was a boy born into a strict, religious family as an only child whose parents wanted nothing but the best for him (even if they had an odd way of showing it). He was a straight A student all throughout elementary school, but never managed to make friends. This continued onto high school, the straight A's and no friends, while Castiel juggled the responsibility of working in his family's restaurant as a waiter as well. This is when Castiel learned he loved to serve people, it made him feel like he mattered because he finally managed to talk to people. It's safe to say his parents were none too glad when he went to college for culinary purposes. They wanted a son they could be proud to brag to their friends about, a son who was a doctor or a lawyer; not a chef. This didn't kill Castiel's spirit though, it merely caused him to hesitate for a few weeks. But as Castiel continued his college, he soon met someone who he felt _something_ for.

He would talk to this person to the people he had managed to make friendships with and one day, word got to his parents about Castiel's new interest. This led to them insisting they were introduced to them, because they were nothing but glad Castiel had finally showed an interest in another person. But Castiel was hesitant, because while he wanted his parents to meet his new love interest, he didn't know how they would react. When he voiced this concern, they assured him they would like anyone he did and he gave in to them a month later. He was nervous but happy when he led his lover into the living room where his parents were. He was quick with the introductions, a smile on his face that faded when he saw the looks on his parents' faces: disgust, disbelief, disagreement. The words spewed at them, the words his parents used broke Castiel down to his very core. The only one that truly stuck to him was one he had only heard when talking about some evil thing in church: _Abomination._ They called them abominations of the Lord and kicked his lover out of the house, leaving Castiel a crumpled, sobbing mess in the floor of the living room after his father had struck him for the first time in Castiel's life. They were sure to forbid Castiel to ever even so much as look at that person, _thing_, again. Castiel didn't follow that order, though, after his love interest graduated from culinary school, he left as well; not finishing school.

They had been planning this for months, ever since that dreaded night, and their plan was going into action. Castiel packed his bags the night of the graduation and ran, ran away with the only person he trusted anymore. At the time, Castiel believed it to be the only option. He ran from the only town he ever known to a place the other suggested. A large city somewhere in the north-eastern USA: New York City. Everything, besides Castiel's ever-growing guilt, was absolutely perfect for the first few months. They both had good paying jobs, they got an apartment, and they were happy; _Castiel was happy._ Then, everything went sour, everything Castiel had ever feared would happen, happened. His "other half" got fired from the job they had about a year after they moved into their apartment, which led to Castiel getting hit for the first time since his father. He had been slapped and that night, he cried. He cried for everything, especially for that failed love he thought was his new beginning. It continued, the abuse, and got worse when the other kept getting worse. His lover hadn't tried to get another job, they took up drinking and their anger turned to outright rage. He would come home drunk and _enraged_ no matter what had happened at the bar that night. It was like just Castiel's presence made him angry. Castiel began writing letters that would never be received, but all of them began with "Jack Hubertson, I thought I loved you once but…" Yes, Castiel was gay and had fallen for a guy with ice blue eyes and dark brown hair.

Castiel found he would have to work two jobs to keep payments up on the apartment. He worked from 6AM to 11AM at a coffee shop before going to work at a restaurant near the heart of the city from noon to 7PM. He was only off Tuesdays and Wednesdays at the coffee shop, Wednesdays and Sundays at the restaurant. He learned that if he pretended he was asleep at night or left until he was sure Jack was asleep, he would be spared the beating. Castiel would pray every night that one day he would find the one who would save him from the life he lived. And every night, he would take the beating given to him, hoping that someone somewhere actually cared enough to save him.

Then there's a boy whose name is Dean Winchester. He was born into a family who was quite easygoing, never stressing anything too much. Sure they would stress he needed good grades to get somewhere in life, but they didn't stress things like religion. Dean was the center of his parents' attention for 4 years, was their main pride and joy for 4 years, and then Dean was award with the name "Big Brother" when his baby brother, Sammy, was born. Not only had his parents' lives changed, Dean's changed as well. He was given new responsibilities and finally understood why his parents had told him to be who he would want others to be. The young Dean would talk to his baby brother and he found himself feeling more and more responsible for this little boy each passing day. This feeling only proved true when his mother died in a house fire 6 months after. While the experience had scarred a child Dean for life, he knew he couldn't retreat from his responsibilities, from his little brother who didn't understand. So, Dean took up caring for his little Sammy while his dad worked extra hard with Mr. Singer, a mechanic at Singer Salvage and a close family friend. At first, the boys had a nanny, much to Dean's dismay. He hated her, not because she was bad, but because she didn't know how Dean felt about the situation when he held his Sammy. When he turned 8 and Sammy 4, Dean had insisted his father get rid of her, and he did. The weight of Sammy's needs were dropped on Dean's shoulder that day and Dean felt he was ready. It's not that John didn't try to help or didn't care, it was just he was never around to help. Not to mention when he was, Dean wouldn't allow him to get close to his little brother.

Dean was the boy in his class who tried his best in academics but also tried to rule the football field (with much success, Dean would brag about in later years). When people asked why he did or how, he would shrug and use the only true statement he could think of by saying "I'm just setting a good example for my little brother." And he did set an example for his little brother who viewed him as his hero. When Dean entered high school and Sammy entered middle school, Dean felt like he was almost leaving Sam behind in a brutal world and it absolutely killed him. Every morning when Dean dropped Sammy off, he would go over a check-list; a mental one. Then he would go to school and brag about his little brother's intelligence like he was his parent. In a way, Dean had been. Dean had raised that boy and he was more than happy to tell anyone this if they tried to challenge him on the subject. Sammy was his, always had been and always would be. His father didn't even have as much of a claim on Sammy because he just would never understand how Sam worked. Sam was his own character and Dean loved his little brother for it. Dean found himself aching with pride each day throughout Sam's school years because he would get somewhere.

Dean was the captain of his football team in high school and even made it to his grade's honor roll each year. Sam would look at his brother in absolute awe when he found all of this out, and John would pat Dean on the back with a look of such pride, it nearly disgusted Dean, because when did John ever look at Sam like that? Yes, Dean didn't care about himself as much as he cared about Sam. So when he entered college (he hadn't wanted to, but Sam had talked him into it) and Sam entered his second year of high school, the facts that Sam really would go far in life shined like a star. Dean would still brag about his brother, but to an extent because the world would see one day; they would see how good his brother really was. When Dean finally finished his college degree after a few years, he decided it was time to leave Sam to live his own life without his brother always over his shoulder. Dean still remembered that conversation and he would smile at the bittersweet taste it left. The night he told John and Sam he was going to move to New York to try to make them both proud of them. John looked pained, because he had never dealt with Sam alone, and Dean didn't really want to leave them by themselves because they argued way too much. But Dean was encouraged because Sam looked at him like he was his hero since he had first entered middle school. Dean had thought his brother had outgrown that state of mind when he realized how broken Dean really was inside. But that look was there and it gave him everything he needed.

He left for New York that summer, the summer that Sam also left for Stanford on the other freaking side of the country. They kept in contact, calling each other every day and Dean felt like he was closer to his brother than he had ever been when they were on the phone. Dean got a job in a business place called Greyson & Dawn Co. and works their Monday-Fridays, starting as someone who did the paperwork before gradually making his way up to the COO. Dean would never have pictured the day where he would call Sam and tell him _that_. It made him feel proud of himself for once, proud that he made it that far. He still worked Monday-Friday, but he did it more happily now. Not the mention there was the secretary, Lisa Braeden, who was totally into Dean. Yeah, it seemed life was indeed looking up for him.

It never occurred to him that there could be someone somewhere who needed his help much like his little Sammy did when they were kids. That there was a poor man in his favorite coffee shop covered in bruises. But he would've noticed if he saw the man, would've noticed the bruises that everyone else ignored. The only problem was the man was never there when he went to get his coffee. He would stop in on Wednesday mornings when the plentiful work he had died down a bit for him to relax. Yes, he would've noticed if he had seen the man firsthand. So their paths cross.


	2. Chapter 1

**Chapter Rating: T  
Chapter Wordcount: 2,500  
****Disclaimer: ****I do not own any of the Supernatural characters, they belong to Eric Kripke (whose work I love).**

Castiel woke up with a groan of pain, the aches of last night's beating coming back to him as he shifted. He felt that large arm around him, almost in a way of protection, and it made him begin blinking back tears. If only it could be like this all the time, so soft and loving. The soft snores told Castiel his lover, _oh how the word pained him,_ was still asleep and he carefully maneuvered his way out of the arm. He glanced at the clock to find he had woken up 30 minutes before his alarm clock and he was quick to deactivate it just in case Jack wasn't awake by then. Castiel moved towards the bathroom to get ready for the morning, the snores behind him fading away as he closed the door. He removed the white T-shirt he was wearing and grimaced at the sight of his abdomen, covered in bruises that differed in color, shapes, and sizes. He was used to seeing this; it's been at least 2 years since it started, how could he not be? Castiel finished undressing and turned the shower on, having it as hot as he could bear, and stepped under it. The water always helped with the aches and tension in his body. He washed his hair and body in about 15 minutes and stepped out into the bedroom with a towel wrapped loosely around his waist as he dried his hair. He had learned the best thing to do with his hair was just dry it and let it do as it pleased because it was just that unruly.

As Castiel padded across the carpeted floor to the dresser, he noticed the lazy smile on Jack's lips and the way his eyes followed him. Castiel couldn't look at him though, he barely could anymore, not after everything he had done. Castiel swallowed hard as he searched through the drawers trying to find an outfit for the day. "You know what?" Jack's voice rang out and Castiel tensed slightly; so much for the relaxing shower. He cleared his throat slightly, but settled for a hum of question as a reply. "You're beautiful," Jack declared and he heard the bed squeak slightly as Jack got up. He was setting a shirt, some pants, and his boxer briefs to the side when the arms wrapped around him and he felt Jack nuzzle into the side of his neck. "More beautiful than the day I first met you, and that's saying something…" He murmured into the sensitive skin, placing a delicate kiss there as his thumbs rubbed the most recent of the bruises on Castiel's stomach. Yes, this is how it always was the morning after. It was as if Jack expected that this is all he had to do still to make Castiel trust him again. This tactic had reached its limit 6 months after the first blow, not that Castiel would tell Jack that. There was a certain level of risk Castiel would choose to take, revealing one of his secrets wasn't one of them.

Castiel cleared his throat again. "That's very nice of you to say, Jack. Thank you…" Castiel whispered, his voice cracking as his hands went to stop Jack's thumbs. "But please do not do that. It's still sore…" Castiel trailed off as he looked away so not to meet Jack's eyes as he slipped away from his arms and grabbed the clothes he picked out. He reluctantly let the towel drop from his waist as he grabbed his underwear, pulling them on as he tried not to vomit when he felt Jack's eyes on him, watching his every move. He pulled on his pants and his shirt before going to the bathroom to look at himself in the body-length mirror. He was wearing black slacks and a casual black button down shirt, the top 2 buttons remaining undone. He decided he would wear his white tennis shoes, not really in the mood to wear anything else. He brushed past Jack who was still watching him and grabbed some socks and his socks, sliding both of them on. He stretched slightly before checking the alarm clock. He still had still to make breakfast for Jack; he never ate at home himself. He didn't feel it was safe enough. "What do you want for breakfast?" Castiel asked a bit hesitantly as he stood.

Jack pulled Castiel to him and smiled as he looked down at Castiel, those ice blue eyes piercing to his very soul; or whatever was remaining of it at least. "You," Jack answers as leaning forward and pressing his lips to Castiel in a slow, sensual kiss that made Castiel pull away because it felt so uncomfortable. No, it didn't feel right kissing Jack now, nor had it ever. There was always something off about it all and Castiel blushed slightly when he realized Jack was staring at him. Those eyes were asking for an answer that Castiel couldn't provide so he just pulled away from Jack's arms again and walked to the bathroom silently. He needed to finish getting ready for the morning anyway.

Castiel closed the door behind him, locking it out of habit, before taking his time to brush his teeth and planning out how he would get out of the house without any more confrontations. He finished and checked his hair, which was as unruly as ever. He smiled at the thing that had managed to stay the same his entire life before slipping out of the bathroom again, finding Jack wasn't in the bedroom. Castiel walked down the hallway quietly and found Jack sitting at the table eating a bowl of cereal. Castiel cleared his throat and Jack looked at him, causing Castiel's own gaze to drop to the floor. "I am going to work now. I will be back at my usual time…" He whispers, never managing to speak above that to Jack. The other man nods to show he understands and Castiel is headed towards the door, grabbing his beige trench coat as he went. He walked down the stairs of his apartment building and out the door, disappearing into the crowd of people who were also already walking the New York streets.

Castiel near the quickest route to his work and was sure to take it, arriving at the coffee shop in about 15 minutes. He pulled at the door handle, finding the door unlocked, and walked inside to see the manager was already there. The manager, a man with brown hair, hazel eyes, and a very scruffy beard, turned around and smiled at Castiel as he walked through the door. "Good morning, Castiel," the man greeted as Castiel slipped off his trench coat and placed it on the coat rack, slipping on a white coffee apron after.

"Good morning, Chuck," Castiel greets in return, forcing a smile as he moves to his place behind the counter. Chuck was a very awkward man at times, but Castiel found his presence comforting from the normal presence of Jack, a threat to his being. If asked, Castiel would be sure to include Chuck in his circle of friends; though he wasn't sure if the man felt mutual about that. And while Castiel was curious, he wouldn't ask about it. The two of them hold a nice conversation about whatever came to mind before another worker walks into the coffee shop, one that Castiel is never thrilled to see. He sighs quietly before forcing another smile. "Good morning, Bela."

The laugh she lets out is anything but forced because she knows that Castiel doesn't particularly like her, though it doesn't bother her because she doesn't like anyone. "Good morning, sweetheart. Good morning, Chuck," She greets both the men as she puts on an apron of her own with a smooth smile. "It's a pleasure to see you all again," She muses for a moment, though it's sarcastic, causing Castiel to crack a bit of a smile. Bela could be classified as an acquaintance if she was being nice.

The shop opens 15 minutes later and the first daily costumers come in, several of them starting conversation with Castiel. The "rush" of their normal costumers died down and in came a man who looked like he had a rough weekend. Bela immediately popped up at the counter. "Dean! I didn't expect to see you again until Wednesday. What brings you here today?" Bela questions, but the brownish-blond haired man known as Dean doesn't answer, so she sets off to get him his coffee as he slumps against the counter a bit. Yes, he indeed had a rough weekend. Bela came back and handed him his drink which he looks grateful for. He takes a sip and sighs deeply.

"Lisa wants to go out somewhere tonight. Like, expensive restaurant somewhere. But she just told me this morning. How the hell am I going to find somewhere to go this soon? I offered to take her Friday night, but she says it would be too crowded and insists on going tonight. What the hell do I look like? A man with magic fingers who can have reservations to a good restaurant in 5 minutes?" Dean rants and Bela sighs as well for a moment, looking as if she is sharing his pain. "I mean, where do I even start? She didn't say where she wanted to go!"

Bela seemed to think for a moment before looking over at Castiel with a smile. "Well, don't look any further. Castiel here could most likely be a help to you. He works at Fantino, a fantastic Italian food establishment. He's waited me a few times and is absolutely phenomenal. If there is an opening in the schedule for tonight, I bet he could get you in!" Bela states and Castiel is stammering as Bela places her hands on both of his cheeks, making him look at her. "What do you say, sweetheart? Could you help this poor man out?" She asks and Castiel actually contemplates it for a moment before sighing. Then, another costumer walks in with the ring of the bell above the door and Castiel can't begin to imagine how this picture must look. Bela turns her head slightly, not bothering to move her hands. "Good morning and welcome to- oh it's you…" She said, her voice deflating as she releases Castiel's cheeks.

Castiel turns his head and smiles at the costumer. "Good morning, Gabriel. The usual I assume?" Castiel questions and the bronze-blonde haired man nods with a visible smirk as Castiel moved to retrieve the hot chocolate he knew the man would want. He came back a few minutes later to find Gabriel sitting next Dean at one of the stools at the counter as they were talking to Bela. Castiel set the hot chocolate in front of Gabriel and slid a container of sugar towards him.

"You really should help this guy out, Castiel. I know you wouldn't understand the way women work, but I mean, look at Bela and Pamela and how they like their men. Bela likes them rich and near their death days, and Pamela likes them young and with firm asses. But the one thing they both want is for their men to please them. You're lucky you only have to deal with Jack," Gabriel says, scooping a few more spoonfuls of sugar into his hot chocolate before giving the sugar container.

_Lucky._ The word struck Castiel for a moment, a pained expression on his face before he replaced it again and put the sugar away. "I'll do my best, but I'll have to call Pamela to make her see if there is going to be open spaces for this evening. What time are you looking for?" Castiel asks as he takes out his cell phone, seeing he had a text from Jack. He silently opens it while biting his lip. _Love you. Have a good day._ The message confuses him but he pushes it away and brushes his hair a bit out of his face as he opens his contact list, still waiting for an answer to his question.

"I don't know. What time do you work until?" He asks, surprisingly Castiel momentarily. "I mean, Bela says you're a good waiter. I might as well have the best if I'm going to do this in short notice."

"I work until 7. My shift turns at noon," Castiel says, feeling like he's revealing himself to a complete stranger, but isn't he? Dean looks deep in thought for a moment.

"I guess 6 will be fine, if that's a time slot you have open," Dean replies finally and Castiel pressed the call button on Pamela's name.

"Hello?" Pamela's voice rings over after a few rings. As Castiel goes to speak, he hears her yell. "Hey! Is your station clean? 'Cause if not, we're going to have some problems!" as he holds the phone away from his ear for a moment. "Sorry about that, whatcha need hot stuff?" she asks.

"It's fine. Can you check the list though and see how many people are booked for tonight around 6?" Castiel asks, glancing at Dean just in time to see the hopeful look in his eyes.

"Okay, give me a second," she says and he hears the kitchen doors open as she walks through them. "Hey, Charlie, how many people are booked for 6?" Pamela calls and he hears a muffled response from the host boy at the front of the restaurant. "It's only a few. He can make a reservation. You need to make one?" Pamela asks and Castiel feels a smile cross his lips like it always does when he helps someone.

"Yeah, make a reservation for…" Castiel trails off, noticing he doesn't know Dean's last name. He looks at Dean for help.

"Winchester," Dean replies and Castiel nods.

"A reservation for Winchester," Castiel states and Pamela tells Charlie. "Thank you so much, Pamela. I will see you at work later on," Castiel states.

"I'm counting on it," Pamela says and then they both hang up.

"Thanks, man. You're a real hero," Dean says with a smile aimed at Castiel. When Castiel sees this smile, his heart swells with emotions he hadn't felt since he first met Jack. It's scary and _hurts_ but he forces a smile. "So, how can I be sure that I get you as a waiter?" Dean asks.

"Just mention it to the guy at the front. It's most likely going to be a guy named Charlie. He's about 25 and has brown hair," Castiel explains and Dean nods his head, taking a drink of his coffee. Then, more costumers began to come in and Dean had to go back to work. Castiel is relieved, but notices the way Gabriel is looking at him. Yes, he didn't seem to be as smooth with his feelings towards Dean as he could've wished, but oh well.


	3. Chapter 2

**Chapter Rating: T  
Chapter Wordcount: 2,600  
Disclaimer: ****I do not own any of the Supernatural characters, they belong to Eric Kripke (whose work I love).**

Dean's morning differed from Castiel's in many ways. When Dean woke up, he had aches, but his were from a hangover and the alarm clock next to him. He knew he shouldn't have gone out to drink last night, on a Sunday of all days. Dean groans, smacks the alarm clock off, and attempts to roll over on his bed, but miscalculates where he is and rolls right off onto the floor. He groans again and attempts to get out of the tangle of sheets he's found himself in. He struggles for a moment before managing to get out of them and he stands up, head pounding just enough to get annoying. He scrubs a hand down his face as he heads for the bathroom, nearly colliding with the doorway when his vision was obstructed by his hand. He shakes his head in disbelief at himself, how is he still alive when he does all this crazy stuff? Dean strips of his boxers, the only thing he wore to bed, and slips into the shower where he enjoys himself for 30 minutes. When he gets out, he walks to his bedroom naked (because seriously, who's gonna see), and puts on his work clothes. This consists of a very expensive suit, dress shoes, and a black and white tie. Yes, Dean was going to look sharp today. Dean was smiling at himself in the mirror when his phone started ringing from the bedside table and he rushes over to it. He picks it up, smiles at the Caller ID, and answers it.

Before he can even say a greeting, the caller on the other line is babbling. "Dean, I want to go out tonight. Somewhere expensive and that has good service, not somewhere cheap and fast food like. Too many calories at those places," The female says over the phone for a moment and Dean is shocked to silence for a moment. "Dean? Hello? Dean, did you hear me?" This is normally how Lisa is, impatient and wanting everyone to wait on her hand and foot; besides the CEO at Dean's work anyway. Everyone else is fair game in her book, and she makes sure they know the rules.

Dean shakes out of his shock and clears his throat. "Lisa, why do you want to go out tonight? Why don't we go out on Friday?" Dean asks, because who goes out to dinner on a Monday night? It just doesn't make sense to the Winchester. Dates are supposed to happen on the weekend, when no one has to get up in the morning. But maybe his definition of a date and Lisa's were two different things…

"Because I want to go out tonight, plus Fridays are always so busy. If we go tonight, we won't be crowded in by snobs," She says, as if it's the most obviously thing in the world, but Dean still doesn't understand. Why is she affected by snobs when she's the biggest one there is? Not that he would tell that to her, because she's hot and Dean would be happy to score with her.

"Okay, I'll try to make reservations then," Dean says and Lisa squeals before hanging up without a goodbye. It's only as Dean is lowering his phone again that he realizes she didn't give him any idea of where she wanted to go. He curses himself and is tempted to call her back when he realizes this is how she wants him to react. He groans again and smacks a hand to his forehead before putting the phone down on the table and going to brush his teeth. "I need a coffee…" He murmurs to himself as he finishes brushing his teeth. He looks at himself in the mirror and sighs. "What have you got yourself into?" He asks before flashing a forced smile and heading down the stairs of his house to where he keeps his keys.

Dean walks out into the street, going to his 1967 Impala that his dad gave him as a parting gift with a genuine smile. He pats the car a few times before getting in and starting the car, not listening to his music too loudly due to his still noticeable hangover. _Definitely need a coffee…_ He thinks as he looks at his watch, and is thankful when he notices he still has an hour before he needs to go to work. With everything that is happening to Dean right now, from his hangover to Lisa to the fact that if he blows this date he will never get his hands on her, he is absolutely stressed. He's glad that he somehow manages to escape massive traffic and pulls into a free space near his coffee shop. He gets out of the Impala, his sour mood showing, and barges in the doors of the coffee shop.

There's a few things he loves about this coffee shop, and one of them is his acquaintance, Bela, who just popped up at the counter. "Dean! I didn't expect to see you again until Wednesday. What brings you here today?" She asks but he's in such a bad mood he doesn't respond, giving her the idea. She disappears to get his coffee and Dean slumps against the counter slightly as he seats himself. He spares a look up at the other person behind the counter, immediately surprised at what he sees. There stood a man about his age, perhaps a bit younger, with messy dark hair, the most bright, unnatural blue eyes, and pale skin littered with bruises and his bottom lip showing a wound from where it had been busted. Dean didn't enjoy the sight, but the man didn't seem to be aware of his noticing, so when Bela came back with his coffee, he was grateful to have a reason to look up. He takes a drink of his black coffee and sighs deeply as he gets ready to rant to Bela like he normally does. The girl is always there to listen, so he takes his chance.

"Lisa wants to go out somewhere tonight…" Dean begins, a bit unsurely if he should really be telling this to her when the other worker is right there, but brushes that thought away. 'Like, expensive restaurant somewhere. But she just told me this morning. How the hell am I going to find somewhere to go this soon? I offered to take her Friday night, but she says it would be too crowded and insists on going tonight. What the hell do I look like? A man with magic fingers who can have reservations to a good restaurant in 5 minutes?" Dean asks, his tone exasperated as Bela sighs, her look understanding. "I mean, where do I even start? She didn't say where she wanted to go!"

Dean watches as Bela's eyes trail from him to the other worker beside her, a smile forming on her lips as she does so. "Well, don't look any further. Castiel here could most likely be a help to you. He works at Fantino, a fantastic Italian food establishment. He's waited me a few times and is absolutely phenomenal. If there is an opening in the schedule for tonight, I bet he could get you in!" Bela is saying to him, but he only catches bits and pieces of it. The man's name is Castiel… Who names their kid Castiel? Not that the name isn't appealing or anything, but where did they get such a name? Fantino? I've heard good things about that place, the guy works there too? Then, Bela is talking again, but to Castiel. When did she put her hands on his cheeks? He looks so vulnerable like that… "What do you say, sweetheart? Could you help this poor man out?" The look on Castiel's face is one of thinking and Dean feels a spark of hope. Castiel sighs and looks like he is about to give an answer when the bell of the door rings, signaling another costumer is walking in. Bela doesn't move her hands, but looks in the general direction of the costumer. "Good morning and welcome to- oh it's you…" Bela starts, though her expression returns to blank as she releases Castiel.

Castiel smiles when he looks at the costumer, a nice feature, Dean realizes as he almost smiles himself at the sight of it. What's going on with him today? "Good morning, Gabriel. The usual I assume?" Castiel says, and Dean loves the sound of his voice, immediately being drawn to it. It's deeper than he had expected, but is kind and welcoming. The costumer, Gabriel, must've nodded because Castiel took off to get whatever his usual may be. A man sat down beside Dean and Dean could see a smirk on his face as Bela scowls at him.

"What's going on with you today?" Gabriel says to Bela and she signals to Dean, with a look that says _Isn't it obvious?_

"He's having woman problems," Bela explains and Gabriel looks over at Dean in evaluation, making Dean shift slightly in his seat. He didn't like when people looked at him like that…

"Why am I not surprised?" Gabriel murmurs under his breath and Dean scoffs like he's been offended because he has been. "Oh, calm down. I'm just kidding. You're lucky Dr. Love is in today. What can I help you with?" Gabriel asks and Dean shoots Bela a look. She nods and Dean sighs before finally explaining his situation to this smug man.

"I work with this chick and she's picky, but extremely hot. She wants to go out to dinner tonight at some big fancy expensive restaurant, but I don't know where to go. Plus, I don't know if I can get reservations. Plus, I'm a bit hung-over this morning and I needed a coffee and Bela is always some sort of help…" Dean trails off for a moment, wondering why he added that part in, but continues none the less. "She mentioned something about that guy, Castiel, working at Fantino and it seems he's my first and possibly last hope." Gabriel looks like he wants to laugh, but doesn't. Instead he just nods his head. "Do you think he'll help me?" Dean asks just before Castiel returns with Gabriel's drink.

Castiel puts the… _is that hot chocolate?_ Dean wonders as the smell hits his nose, making his mouth water slightly. Castiel slides a container of sugar to Gabriel and Dean wrinkles his nose in disgust for a moment before looking back at Castiel. "You really should help this guy out, Castiel," Gabriel brings, picking up the scoop in the sugar container and adding a large amount for the first time. "I know you wouldn't understand the way women work, but I mean, look at Bela and Pamela and how they like their men," Another scoop was added. "Bela likes them rich and near their death days, and Pamela likes them young and with firm asses," There's the final scoop. "But the one thing they both want is for their men to please them. You're lucky you only have to deal with Jack," Gabriel slides the sugar container back towards Castiel.

Dean wondered briefly how much sugar the guy runs on, but keeps his eyes trained on Castiel, who looks afflicted for a moment before he grabs the sugar. As he's putting it away, Dean can't get that expression out of his mind now. That had been an expression of… _pain…_ And Castiel didn't have to deal with women, only this Jack person, did that mean he was…? Dean looks over at Bela who is already nodding in confirmation of his thoughts. Then Castiel is speaking. "I'll do my best, but I'll have to call Pamela to make her see if there is going to be open spaces for this evening. What time are you looking for?" Dean is still caught up in that voice as he watches Castiel bite his lip for a moment before brushing his hair out of his face. This is when Gabriel nudges Dean a bit and shakes him out of his shock.

"I don't know. What time do you work until?" Dean asks without thinking and notices the look of pure surprise on Castiel's face. He has to cover himself now. "I mean, Bela says you're a good waiter. I might as well have the best if I'm going to do this in short notice," Dean says smoothly and this seems to sooth Castiel a bit.

"I work until 7. My shift turns at noon," Castiel states and Dean finds himself filing this information away for perhaps later times, just in case he needs it. Then he thinks about what time he wanted…

"I guess 6 will be fine, if that's a time slot you have open," Dean replies and Castiel pressed a button on his phone, moving it to his ear.

Someone on the other line answers and as Castiel opens his mouth to speak, he is immediately cut off and holds the phone away from his ear as a muffled, though slightly audible, shout sounds from it. Then he puts it back to his ear. "It's fine. Can you check the list though and see how many people are booked for tonight around 6?" Castiel asks and Dean feels hope rise within him, because this means he can score with Lisa if he wants to (if this succeeds) and be close to this mysterious man… But when had he truly cared whether or not Castiel served him or not without it being mere possibility of it helping him with Lisa? There's more muffled talking on the other end and after a moment, Castiel smiles. "Yeah, make a reservation for…" Castiel begins again before pausing and looking over at Dean.

It takes Dean a moment to realize he was wondering his last name. "Winchester," Dean replies and Castiel nods to show him he heard him.

"A reservation for Winchester," Castiel says in what Dean likes to call a voice of declaration, causing a small smile to form on his lips. More muffled talking for a moment before Castiel speaks again. Thank you so much, Pamela. I will see you at work later on." One last muffled comment and Castiel hangs up.

Dean finds himself speaking without thinking as soon as he hangs up. "Thanks, man. You're a real hero," Dean says, smiling at Castiel like it was the most normal thing in the world. He notices Castiel's pause before he responses with a smile that looks like it might hurt. "So, how can I be sure that I get you as a waiter?" Dean asks, trying to clear a bit of the tension Castiel seemed to be feeling.

"Just mention it to the guy at the front. It's most likely going to be a guy named Charlie. He's about 25 and has brown hair," Castiel answers and Dean nods, taking a small sip of his coffee just so he wasn't just sitting there. As Dean was planning on saying something more, more costumers began to file in and he notices he has to get to work now. He spares a goodbye to the people and is tempted to say "see you later" to Castiel but pushes the urge away. As Dean makes his way to his car again, he heaves an uneasy sigh. How has he gotten himself into a situation with a hot girl and felt something for someone else? That someone being the guy that was waiting his table! A guy who was gay…


	4. Chapter 3

**Chapter Rating: Slightly more mature T  
Chapter Wordcount: 2,000  
Disclaimer: ****I do not own any of the Supernatural characters, they belong to Eric Kripke (whose work I love).  
AN: Thank you to everyone who reviewed my story and I apologize for the slight confusion for the previous 2 chapters. I hadn't been thinking straight it seems. I took a bit more caution with this chapter. Please, criticism is welcomed! (As long as it isn't too harsh!)**

Castiel sighed heavily as he took that apron off and grabbed his trench coat but no one looked at him because they were just that used to Castiel's dark mood. Castiel made sure to tell Bela and Chuck goodbye before heading out of the coffee shop without much on his mind. His mind definitely wasn't going anywhere towards the thought of how he had to wait on Dean and his date that night; no, he knew how to keep himself occupied from that thought. His feet hit the pavement of the sidewalk and his eyes were caught in the lunch-break traffic before he smiled to himself because _he_ didn't have to deal with that mess. This is one of those days where he's more than glad he chooses to walk. Castiel sets off in the next opening of people towards his other workplace and knew what he had to do next. He bit his lip, pulling his phone out of his pocket and pressing the 1 on his speed dial. He didn't press the call button right away and when he did he didn't lift the phone to his ear for a moment. When he did, the rings hit his ear like something was screaming. Yes, this is one part of the day he truly dreaded. He was always tempted to hang up, but knew what the consequences would be so always thought better of it.

"Hello gorgeous," The voice on the other line greets with a loving tone that Castiel was really starting to hate, but the upside of this was Jack hadn't started drinking yet. But it was still early, so maybe that was why. "How was your shift at the coffee shop?" Jack asked like always and Castiel sighed again, silently though.

"Same as always," Castiel murmurs in reply. "I did manage to find out I'm going to have at least one costumer tonight." Yes, that was indeed something to look forward to; especially since it was Dean that he was going to be waiting on… But there was still the fact that Dean was on a date that crushed what remained of Castiel's heart. _Of course a man like that isn't interested in guys. Girls are probably falling for him every time he glances at them,_ Castiel thinks bitterly.

"That's good. I love how hard you work. It really makes me feel like you care," Jack says and Castiel can see his smile through the phone, making him grimace in disgust. "I can't wait until you get home tonight, baby. I think it's gonna be… _fun…_" The tone Jack takes on, the one that is flirtatious and husky, makes Castiel feel physically sick. He feels himself get lightheaded and want to vomit. Castiel swallows hard and clears his throat.

"I don't think I-…" Castiel begins before Jack effectively cuts him off.

"I don't care. You're mine tonight, understand?" He snarls and Castiel bites his lip, feeling the fear turn his blood to ice in his veins.

"Y-Yes, Jack…" Castiel manages to whimper and Jack chuckles darkly on the other line before it goes dead with a click. Castiel keeps his phone pressed to his ear a minute longer before pressing his end call button for safe measures and putting his phone back in his pocket.

The air outside isn't chilly as it had been in the early morning, but Castiel felt freezing and pulled his trench coat tighter against his body. It had been a long time since Jack had suggested anything of _that_ sort and Castiel truly didn't want to suffer through that tonight. But maybe Jack would forget once he got to drinking. Maybe he would forget what he wanted with Castiel and he would be safe from the ghastly fingers that belonged to the man he once thought he loved. He placed a hand to his mouth to hold back the sob of fear and made sure to duck his head away from the gazes of fellow pedestrians as he cried. He watched the tears drip from his face shamelessly as they landed on the pavement, his trench coat, and his shoes. No, Castiel wasn't ashamed of his tears as he had once been. It just didn't seem to matter anymore.

As Castiel continues his walk towards Fantino, he doesn't spare a second glance at the building he passes. This building is Greyson & Dawn Co. and inside sits a very happy and excited Dean Winchester.

Dean sits at his desk trying to do as much work as he can when all he has on his mind is his dinner and seeing the mysterious Castiel again. And getting with Lisa, of course. What else could he want? He was busy typing away on his computer when someone cleared their throat in the doorway. He looks up and smiles at the sight he sees before him. "Hey Lisa," He greets as he looks at the woman from her shoes up. She's wearing black 6 inch heels, a black skirt that is nearly too short for work, and a long sleeved button down shirt with… Dean feels a smirk pull at his lips as he sees 3 buttons left undid and the perfect amount of cleavage showing from it. Then his eyes travel to her face.

She has a smug look on her face as she smirks, her eyes mischievous and Dean knows if he gets tonight right, he's going to be in a good mood tomorrow. "Hey Dean," she says, walking into the room with a certain strut to her walk. She stands in front of Dean's desk and puts a small stack of papers there with an apologetic smile. "So…" She says, bending down just enough to show almost all she's got to Dean who couldn't help but glance down for a peek. "Did you set up reservations?" She asks as her eyes go from mischievous to oh-so-innocent. Dean licks his suddenly dry lips and manages to nod.

"Y-Yeah…" He stutters, cursing himself mentally for a moment before smiling to boost his confidence a bit. "Got us reservations for Fantino at 6," He says and Lisa seems pleased with this from the smile that crosses her lips. _She better be happy. That place is freaking expensive and she's lucky I'm even taking her to dinner on a Monday!_ Dean thinks bitterly, but keeps that smile on his lips. "Is that alright with you?" He asks, leaning a bit more forward so they were mere inches away from each other.

Lisa's eyes glance down at Dean's lips for a moment and Dean forces himself not to smirk. "Yeah…" Lisa whispers as her eyes go back to look into Dean's. "It's perfect." Dean had obviously outdone himself, because she leaned forward and pressed her lips to his in a soft kiss before pulling away with an innocent smile. "See you tonight, Dean," She says before straightening up and walking out of the room again, leaving Dean there flabbergasted.

He had dreamed about that moment for a while now, and now that it came, he didn't feel anything. Not even the slightest spark of excitement. He licks his lips and notices, with disgust, some of her lip gloss had gotten on his lips. And it was... watermelon favored. _Who wears watermelon lip gloss?_ Dean thinks to himself. _It's usually cherry or strawberry! Something sexy at least!_ Dean sighs to himself because something has definitely messed something in his brain up, but didn't realize it was the mysterious man covered in bruises he met at the coffee shop.

The same man who is just reaching Fantino 15 minutes before his shift starts at noon. He slips inside through the backdoor and doesn't even attempt to force a smile when he sees his manager who gives him a cold look with something more behind it… He was walking for him just as Castiel was clocking in and Castiel straightened up to full attention so he wouldn't be scolded for something pointless like not paying attention. "Hello Mr. Glenn," Castiel greets in a neutral, trying and failing to keep eye contact with the balding man.

"Please, Castiel, call me Zachariah for today," He says and Castiel gives him an uneasy look as he moves his hand to put Castiel's nametag on for him. This put Castiel on edge because there was something that would be happening today and Castiel really didn't want to know what that was. "You see… I have a job for you today and it's very important, which means I don't want you to royally screw this like you seem to do with everything else handed to you in life." Not a very smooth introduction, if you asked Castiel, but it did bring him to more of an attention than before because _why was "Zachariah" acting so nice?_ "Do you think you can do that for me, for the restaurant?" He asks Castiel, who notices the look Zachariah is giving him.

Castiel swallows hard and nods his head slowly. "Yes, I believe I can do something if it is of importance to the restaurant," He answers and the smile that crosses Zachariah's features is deadly.

"Good, because if you screw this up, don't expect to have a job here tomorrow," Zachariah says before stepping out from in front of Castiel. "Come with me, we'll talk about this before you're shift starts," he says. Castiel hesitates for a moment before walking with Zachariah out of the area they were in and Castiel can't stop himself from thinking _Oh sweet Lord, what have I gotten myself into this time?_

Dean was having similar problems after work a few hours later when he got home at 3:30 and was looking through his closet for something he could wear. He didn't want to wear a suit because he promised himself that those would be strictly for work, but he wasn't sure what to wear to a fancy restaurant. He was about to give up in frustration when his eye was caught by a white fabric. He pulls at it and smiled when he noticed it was a fancy-enough white button-down shirt. But it was awfully see-through and he grunts for a moment. Then he grabs a black cotton shirt to put under it before grabbing a pair of black pants with a pair of dress shoes. He sets the outfit carefully on the bed and smiles to himself. _This'll have to do for you, Lisa, you picky bitch…_ He says to himself with a smirk before stripping off his work clothes that he was surprised he hadn't taken off yet. He tosses the shirt and over jacket into a laundry hamper for another day before heading towards the bathroom. He spares a look at the bed and scowls when he sees the sheets on the floor still. Then he lets out a laugh and disappears behind the bathroom door.

Back at the restaurant, Castiel is busy having a minor panic attack as Pamela pats his shoulder gently. "Sometimes plans don't go as expected, sweetheart. You did as much as you could to help this Dean guy. You couldn't have thought this was going to happen," Pamela tried to soothe as Castiel rubs a shaky hand through his hair before returning it to his lap with the other one. "It's going to be okay," she tries feebly and Castiel laughs shakily as he stands up from the free chair he had been sitting in. He starts pacing and Pamela just watches him with concern in her eyes.

"This is so far from okay, Pamela," Castiel says, stress lowering his voice as he runs another hand through his hair. "This is just downright torture because Zachariah knows I'm going to mess up. He wants to fire me!" Castiel says and Pamela frowns, her eyes looking sorrowful. "I mean, out of all the people, why did he have to choose me to wait on the food critic?" Castiel explodes before sitting down again.


	5. Chapter 4

**Chapter Rating: T  
Chapter Wordcount: 2,000  
Disclaimer: ****I do not own any of the Supernatural characters, they belong to Eric Kripke (whose work I love).**

It had been 15 minutes since Dean had picked up Lisa and they were currently sitting in the Impala in backed up traffic as they made their way to Fantino. Dean wasn't frustrated as of now, but the same couldn't be said for Lisa, who seemed to just be mad at the entire world. But Dean wasn't paying attention to that, he was just paying attention to how she looked. She was hot, wearing a tight black dress and heels with her hair practically natural. He loved it, but there was something off about how he feels about her still, and he's yet to figure it out. Dean was tempted to honk his horn like the other drivers, but refrained as he heaved a sigh, checking his watch. _5:45_. Was he even going to make it to the freaking restaurant by 6? He wasn't completely sure and by the way Lisa was complaining, he knew he better do the best he can. He rubs a hand down his face as something finally clears up and traffic starts going a bit faster than 5 miles an hour.

At Fantino, everything is pretty frantic in the kitchen where Castiel is having another panic attack. The food critic was due about 6:15, which gave him enough time to do his best with Dean for practice, but he was still super nervous. Pamela was ordering everyone around like a mad woman and Castiel was glad someone had offered to take care of his tables for the time being because he certainly could not. Castiel looked at his watch and sighed with relief when it read 5:50. He stood up and Pamela glanced over at him with a smile that spoke reassuring words. He offered a stressed smile in response before going out into the main part of the restaurant again and looking around the fancy decorated restaurant. He loved working here, which meant he had to do his best and prove to Zachariah he was worthy of working here. Maybe that's all this was, a test to see if he was worthy, but the look Zachariah had in his eyes begged to differ and Castiel was forced to even out his breathing again.

Castiel couldn't help but wonder if that day could get any worse because what hadn't happened to him so far? He woke up next to Jack again, he had to suffer through the first part of his morning with him, he developed an interest on a straight man who he would be serving soon, and he was going to be serving a food critic. He had too much on his plate and he couldn't believe he had done this to himself. As he watched as the people at the table in his section left, he realized his section was literally empty now. Soon, the only people there would be Dean, his date, and the critic. Castiel heaved a sigh. That would be easy enough. He ran his hand through his hair and forced a smile when he saw one of his coworkers looking at him in certain. He could do this. Castiel was amazing at serving. _Think back to the family diner. Nice comments, easy conversation, and great service._ This thought got Castiel to stand up straight. He would do this to make up for how he betrayed his parents, he would do this to make up for the failed life he lived. But most of all, he would do this for himself.

Dean finally pulled into a free spot near the restaurant and was quick to get out. He opened Lisa's door for her and she smiled kindly at him, her passenger-side road rage seeming dead for now. Dean offered his arm to her and she took it without hesitation as they walked. "You look amazing tonight," Dean comments to her and her eyes shine at the comment, obviously getting what she had been looking for.

"Same goes for you. It's nice to see you out of those suits," she replies and he smiles to himself, a bit cockily if he said so himself. "It was very kind of you to get all of this done in short notice, Dean. It's nice to know you really care," She comments, her voice having a slight edge to it but Dean doesn't risk a glance.

"Yeah, I guess I try my best," He replies in a murmur as they walk into Fantino. At the front, there is a podium with a man that fit the description that Castiel had given him earlier that day. The nametag that read _Charlie_ confirmed it. "Yes, reservation for 2, Winchester," Dean says and Charlie looks on the list, nodding. "Oh, and may we get Castiel as our waiter?" He adds after a moment's thought and Charlie seems to hesitate before nodding, biting his lip as he grabs two menus and says "follow me." Lisa smiles in joy as they do as told and are seated in a rather secluded area. This made Dean slightly baffled but he brushed it away and smiled at Lisa as they take their seats.

"Your server will be with you shortly," Charlie says as he hands them the menus and catches another waiter by the arm. He whispers something to them that Dean managed to catch. "Make Castiel aware that there are two people here. He needs to be prepared for when the other gets here." The waiter goes slightly pale for a moment before nodding and rushing towards the kitchen. Charlie smiled at Dean and Lisa before heading towards the front again. _Hmm._ Dean thought as he watched him go. _What's got them all so hyped?_

Castiel was talking to Pamela as much as he could as she barked orders until a coworker, Frank, came to get him. He told him he had a couple who were seated in his area and he knew it was Dean. He nods, grabs what he needs, and heads out with Frank on his heels. They part and Castiel spots Dean and a brunette woman. He feels a course of jealousy run through him but brushes it off and heads towards them. _Nice comments, easy conversation, great service._ Castiel repeats to himself as he walks to the table, setting down two drink coasters. "Good evening and welcome to Fantino. My name's Castiel and I'm your server for the night. Can I get you some Sangiovese wine or would you prefer something else to drink?" Castiel begins in a cheery voice, taking out his notepad and offering a smile. He looks at the woman for a moment and smiles. "That's a nice necklace," He compliments and she looks up in surprise before smiling brightly.

"Thank you very much. I'll be fine with the wine, if that's fine with you?" She asks Dean and Castiel's eyes trail over to him. His breath catches for a moment as he sees something more than his face. The muscles in his arm were pressing against the thin fabric of his shirt and Castiel forces himself not to stare. Dean nods his consent to the wine and Castiel smiles at the two again before heading towards the kitchen again.

When Dean had seen Castiel coming towards him, he felt like he was seeing an entirely different person than he had the previous morning. The dim lighting of the restaurant that gave it a calming and romantic theme had covered most of the bruises he had seen and the apron that had disappeared left Castiel with nothing covering his clothes. They fit like a glove on the man and Dean forced himself not to smile the whole time that Castiel was standing by their table. Especially when he talked with such enthusiasm as if he loved his job and how he complimented Lisa on something he didn't even notice before. "That is a nice necklace," Dean says with a smirk and Lisa looks up at him with a smirk.

"You don't think he was looking at my breasts do you?" She asks and Dean snorts by mistake, making her look at him in confusion.

"No, my friend Bela works with him at the coffee shop I go to and she told me he's gay," Dean explains and her eyes go wide for a moment in understanding before they both look at their menus again. Dean is glad for the silence that keeps going because he keeps thinking about that look in Castiel's eyes when he had looked at Dean, or rather at his arms. He flexed to himself slightly and smirked as he was almost positive Castiel liked him.

Castiel entered the kitchen. "I need a bottle of Sangiovese!" He calls out to Pamela who gives a thumbs up. He picked up two glasses and Pamela rolls over a stand that has a bucket of ice on it with the bottle resting in it. "Thanks, Pam. You're a lifesaver," He says and she kisses his cheek before rubbing off the lipstick that got on his cheek, and then went back to barking orders. He laughs to himself and rolls the wine out and over to the table. "Here you go," he says, sitting the glasses down before pulling out a cork popper and carefully opening the wine bottle. He pours them both a cup and smiles as he does so before placing the bottle carefully in the ice again. "Are you two ready to order or do you need a few more minutes?" He asks.

Dean looks at Lisa and she nods. "We're ready to order," He says, though he truly has no clue what he's going to eat. He looks at the menu, picks the first thing he sees, and smiles at Lisa. "Ladies first."

Lisa smiles at this and looks at her menu. "I want the truffle crusted sea scallop, please," she requests and Castiel nods, writing it down on his notepad before looking at Dean.

And damn it if Dean can't overlook that innocent look in his eye. He swallows hard, unbeknown to Lisa and smiles at Castiel. "I'll have the porcini crusted filet mignon," he says and Castiel nods again, writing it down.

"Both are wonderful choices," Castiel says with a genuine smile after Dean had smiled at him, taking the menus from them. "Is there anything else I can get you?" He asks and Lisa looks at the table for a moment as if trying to remember what she was going to ask.

"Could I get a glass of water?" She asks and Castiel nods.

"Of course, I meant to bring you each one out just in case. My most sincere apologies," Castiel says, looking like he mentally abused himself just then. "Let me go put your orders in and I'll be out immediately with your waters."

Lisa looks pleased by this response and watches as Castiel hurries to the kitchen. "He's quite a server," Lisa says and Dean smiles at the comment. "It's like he lives to serve or something." There had never been a truer comment made about Castiel.

"I feel like a complete moron. I forgot the glasses of water to go with the wine!" Castiel huffs to Pamela as he hands her the order.

"We need orders of F2 and J7 pronto!" She orders and the chefs begin cooking as she turns to Castiel. "You're not a moron, sweetheart. You're just stressed. Calm down and breathe. You can do this in your sleep," She soothes and Castiel sighs but nods.

"Thanks, Pamela," He murmurs as he fills up two glasses of water and heads back out to the table. He sets down the waters down with a smile. "Here you go. I'm sorry about that," He says again and Lisa smiles in acceptance of the apology and Dean merely nods. Then, someone catches Castiel's elbow. He looks over in shock and something is whispered in his ear.

"The critic is here. I hope you're ready," A nameless face whispers. Castiel nearly panics.


	6. Chapter 5

**Chapter Rating: K+ - T  
Chapter Wordcount: 2,500  
Disclaimer: ****I do not own any of the Supernatural characters, they belong to Eric Kripke (whose work I love).  
A/N: I apologize for how long it took me to write this chapter. It was me being sick and my school, and la-la-la, et cetera, et cetera. Please enjoy.**

The man that walks into the room is not who Castiel who expecting to be the food critic, and the woman that followed behind him as an assistant he wasn't expecting at all either. A sharp intake of breath left Castiel feeling dizzy as he looks at t hem, his eyes going from one to the other, back again. _No,_ Castiel thought bitterly as he tried to keep his emotions in check. _This can't be happening…_ The two familiar, yet alien, faces look at him in the mirror image of his shock. "Cassy, is that you?" One of them asks, a male with British accent and Castiel shifted awkwardly on his feet. "It is, isn't it? I haven't seen you in years! But what happened to you?" Castiel straightens up now and clears his throat.

_Nice comments, easy conversation, great service…_ Castiel feebly reminds himself and smiles at them the best he can. "Welcome to Fantino, allow me to give you both a table," Castiel says as he begins walking towards an empty table not too far from Dean's. But even as he puts their menus down, they just keep staring at him. He shifts again and clears his throat. "You may go ahead and have your seats…" He says softly and they both do, but the British man grabs his arm before he can move any further. "Please release my arm," Castiel requests and after a moment, the man does. "What would you like to drink?" Castiel asks, bringing out his notepad. He still has to keep this up for all it's worth because he's _not _to get fired because people from his past magically appear in New York. Castiel straightens his posture again at the thought.

At least one of the two are going to play fair. "I'll have a water, please," The red headed woman says quietly, though she's searching Castiel just as much as the male is. Castiel nods, scribbling it down before looking reluctantly and expectantly at the male to the side.

"And you sir?" Castiel manages to ask, forcing another smile.

"If you cut with all this crap, Cassy, I'll promise to give this place an A and we can all live happily ever after," The man says softly and Castiel swallows.

"I'm not sure what you're talking about, Balthazar," Castiel says with a warning tone to his voice. "Would you like something to drink?" Castiel says as politely as he can.

"Give me one glass of the house wine," Balthazar finally says and Castiel writes it down.

"I will return with your drinks momentarily," Castiel says, then he remembers the nice comments. As Castiel looks from Balthazar to the woman, he finds a compliment he is won't have to lie about. He smiles at the woman with a genuine joy. "Your hair looks lovely tonight, Anna," He says softly, reaching across the table and patting her hand before heading towards the kitchen, but he stopped by Dean's table on the way. "Is everything still okay over here?" When they both nod, he heads towards the back.

Dean had been watching it all transpire, because he didn't know exactly what to think. He had heard a few talks about a food critic, and had watched Castiel tense up when he had seen the two. He thought it was merely because they were the food critics, but when the male had called Castiel "Cassy" he knew it wasn't that. They even asked him what happened to him, but Dean was too consumed by some sort of jealousy at the nickname to even care. Castiel had a boyfriend, it had been said earlier that morning, and this couldn't be him because Castiel called him Balthazar and not Jack. Dean hadn't noticed the female until she answered what she wanted to drink, but she didn't matter.

Castiel had come over and asked if they were still alright with their needs, leaving only when they told them everything was alright. He hadn't watched him as he went, but instead focused on Lisa, who looked right back at him with a smile. "Thank you for bringing me here tonight, Dean…" She said and he smiled at her. "I think I might need to repay you at the end of the night," she says with a wink and he feels his insides churn uneasily, but forces a confident smile.

"Sounds like a plan to me," Dean replied with that smile and Lisa's eyes glimmered with mischief, like she was thinking of all the possibilities, but Dean was devising a plan to fake a stomach ache because he "drank too much wine" by the end of the night. Oh how his feelings changed in mere hours.

Castiel entered the kitchen and Pamela informed him the meals would be ready in a moment for Dean and his lady friend and they had a little bit of everything made up for the food critic. As Castiel was filling up the wine glass and the water glass, he heaved a sigh. "Pamela, I know the food critics," He finally admitted and she seemed positively delighted by the fact, but when she saw his face, her own expression fell. "There are two of them, and one of them is my cousin… The other was my best friend…" Castiel says and Pamela understands. She tells him everything is alright, but Castiel can't bring himself to admit it. Someone announces that the meals are done, and Castiel puts everything on plates before Pamela looks at him with a confident, but despair is in there as well. He walks out into the main restaurant and smiles as he reaches Dean's table. "Here are your meals, I hope you don't feel you waited too long," Castiel says as he sets down each meal in front of their designated people. "Do you need another water?" Castiel asks Lisa when she sees hers is almost empty.

"Uh…" Lisa begins, looking at her glass. "Yes," Lisa decides with a polite smile that Castiel returns.

"I will be back with another shortly, _si prega di godere,_" Castiel says with the most charming smile he can muster before going back to his best friend's (and cousin's) table. "Here is your water, and your glass of wine. Have you had time to look over the menus?" Castiel asked and Balthazar watched him closely, as if trying to search his soul. Castiel just looked right back until Balthazar looked away.

"We have. I would like to try a bit of what those two over there are having, as well as…" He looks at the menu for a moment. "And a bit of the duck confit," Balthazar decides and Castiel scribbles it down. "Anna, what do you wish to get?"

Anna cleared her throat and looks at her menu twice. "I want to get the mascarpone dumpling soup, and the short rib tortellini, please…" She says softly and he nods. They lock eyes for one second before he looks down at his notepad and scribbles down her order.

"I will be back momentarily with your orders," Castiel says and begins walking back towards the kitchen, when Balthazar grabs his arm again. "Balthazar," Castiel warns again as he looks around at the man. "This is not the place, nor the time…" Castiel hisses quietly and Balthazar just looks at him for a moment before sighing and reluctantly letting go of his arm again. Castiel walks past Dean's table with a promise to Lisa he'll have her water when he comes back out, taking the empty cup from the table.

Dean can't stop himself. He looks at the way the shirt reveals just the tiniest bit more of skin on Castiel's arm and he promises to himself he will touch the man's skin one day, will feel it. But, as his arm is retrieved again and he begins walking away, Dean returns his eyes to the steak in front of him. Yes, he's glad he randomly chose something and actually enjoys it. The steak is amazing. Lisa seems to be enjoying her meal as well, and they keep up a light conversation, but Dean's eyes keep drifting to the two other people Castiel is serving. The man kept _grabbing_ Castiel's arm. He got to touch Castiel in the slightest way, and he was jealous of that fact. He scowls to himself lightly as he cuts into his steak again.

As Dean continues to enjoy his meal, Castiel comes through with a glass of water for Lisa before continuing to the other table. He watches Castiel as he eats because he feels he has the right. He was his waiter first, after all… And what did Dean just _say?_ He sighed silently, but still remained watching Castiel. He watched the way the woman looked at him with so much care it was nearly impossible, and he watched the way the man looked at him like he could see deeper than the human eye. Perhaps they were looking at Castiel for the same reason he was, wondering where and why he gotten so many bruises. When he heard Lisa talking again, he moved his attention back to her. "I find it sort of unfair how we are treated in the office, it's like we're just a minor part in a bigger picture." Yes, Dean's heard this before from too many other people.

"But that's pretty much all we are, isn't it?" He asked and she looked sad for a moment. "I mean, what else can we be? We're one business in New York City out of a few that are scattered around the US, most likely," Dean said and she nods, returning to her food. He felt kind of bad now, but it had been true to an extent.

Castiel wish he had just taken Balthazar's offer from earlier and "cut the crap" because now Balthazar had him working his ass off. _"I need more wine, Cassy." "I need a napkin, Cassy." "Oh, Cassy, can you get Anna hear some water and perhaps a glass of ice tea?"_ Anything stupid and/or pointless Balthazar was thinking of, he was requesting it. Castiel managed to keep up with Dean's table too and offered another bottle of wine to which they refused and Dean ordered a soft drink instead. He can out with Lisa's water, Anna's water and ice tea, Dean's soda, and Balthazar's wish for something saucy, and he wanted to kill someone. As Castiel was walking back towards the kitchen to get something else to Balthazar's request, someone grabbed his wrist.

His breath hitched because the hand was warm and soft, but had a firm grip and it sent electrical shocks up his arm and through his body. He looked back and met Dean's jade green eyes. "Cas, if it's not too much of an issue, could we get a check soon?" Dean asked in the most polite voice, the nickname rolling so easily off his tongue that it made Castiel shudder inwardly. He didn't trust his voice so he merely nodded. And as if Dean didn't realize what he had done to him, he flashed him a heart melting smile.

Castiel rushed to the back, grabbing Dean's check and Balthazar's pointless request. But before he exited the kitchen, he looked at how much the check would cost Dean and grimaced. Too much for him to pay, in Castiel's opinion, so he wrote a note, stuck it in the check holder, and headed back out into the main room. He dropped out the check and headed over to Balthazar's table. He gave him the pointless request item, which had been a pen, and sighed as he dared himself to ask the question. "Is there anything else you need?" Castiel asked, his voice sounding tired.

"Yes. I need you to write your number down on this here napkin so I can give you a bloody call sometime and we can talk this over," Balthazar said quietly, but forcefully and Castiel swallowed hard, but knew he had no choice. He wrote the 10 digit number reluctantly and to the immense pleasure of Balthazar. "I thought you would've put up more of a fight, Cassy," Balthazar seemed to admit and Castiel forced a smile.

When Castiel had handed Dean the check, he had immediately opened it, but before he could look at the price he saw the handwritten note in it. _Allow me to pay for the meal, and if not the whole thing then at least the wine, because I gave you the idea in the first place…_ Dean smiled to himself and noticed a pen hidden in the check as well. He wrote on the back of the note, unbeknown to Lisa who was currently checking her make up on her phone. He pulled out his card, put the card in the check, and put it at the edge of the table. "I hope I didn't cost you too much," Lisa said, batting her eyes slightly at him

Dean wanted _to puke._ He couldn't go through with this, couldn't sleep with her. It just didn't seem right, not anymore. Now that he thought about it, when had it ever seemed right? He felt a sharp wave of nausea and he swallowed hard. "I… I don't think I can do that tonight, Lisa… I think I had a bit too much wine…" He grumbles, glad his condition actually made it seem believable.

Lisa's expression deflated and she frowned. "Oh. I'm sorry," She says and looks at the tablecloth. "Do you need me to call someone to pick me up?" She asks and Dean bites his lip for a moment.

"I… I think that might be best…" He answers and she nods, excusing herself as she pulls out her phone. Castiel is coming back after a moment to get the check and Dean grabs his attention again by laying a hand over the one that went to grab the check. "Look, you've done too much for me today especially when you're dealing with the food critics… Lisa's hitching a ride home and if you're off work soon, I can wait and take you out for a drink…" Dean whispers to him, seeing him look shocked as he hesitates. Then he nods, biting his lips as he picks up the check and walks away to where the cash register is.

Castiel swallows hard as he gets to the back and opens the check, seeing Dean's reply of _you can pay for the wine, but nothing else._ Castiel smiles to himself and puts in the correct amount of paying Dean has to pay before paying for the wine with his own money. When had he turned into the type of person to do that? He wasn't quite sure. Pamela even gave him a suspicious look that he returned with a smile. He was going to give Dean the check when he saw Lisa leaning in for a kiss that Dean refused with an excuse, and Castiel just smiles.

* * *

**Additional A/N: "**_**si prega di godere"**_** is what I hope means "Please Enjoy" in Italian. I might be wrong. Freaking Google Translate.**


	7. Chapter 6

**Chapter Rating: T – Possibly borderline M.  
Chapter Wordcount: 2,500  
Disclaimer: ****I do not own any of the Supernatural characters, they belong to Eric Kripke (whose work I love).  
A/N: Again, I am sorry for the wait. I am literally writing about 5 things at one time while still trying to live up my young life! Hope you enjoy.**

Castiel can't help but think it's going to be a good night, long since forgetting about whatever Jack was talking about earlier. Dean had asked him out, and if it wasn't a date, it didn't seem to matter to Castiel's brain. Just the mere thought of what was to come had an unnatural happiness coursing through his veins was almost enough to get him through the rest of his shift (that should've ended 30 minutes ago, by the way). Almost, but not quite.

Because even though Castiel is going out for a drink with Dean, he still has to wait until Balthazar leaves, which is annoying him to no end. He keeps asking for more and more, making Castiel want to grab him by his shirt and fling him across the room. Castiel is nothing but thankful to every god he can think of when Balthazar finally asks for a check and pays, but as Castiel is turning to clock out of his shift, Balthazar has a grip around his wrist. "Why did you go?" The words seemed to come by mistake, but Balthazar wasn't taking them back. Everything about Balthazar was rigid and more serious than he had been when on job. "Why did you leave all of us behind because of what your parents did? What did we do to deserve it?"

The words were bitter and Castiel felt a stab of every negative go through his heart: Despair, melancholy, guilt, anger... "What was I supposed to do, Balthazar? You wouldn't have let me go and be happy if I was to tell you anything," Castiel replies and Balthazar smiles grimly, because they both know it was the truth. Balthazar wouldn't have let Castiel step foot out of the state, even if he promised to come back the next day.

"Are you calling me a selfish bastard?" He asks the dark haired man and Castiel swallows hard. Is that what he was saying? He wasn't quite sure, but it sure sounded good. There's a moment of silence as Anna looks between the two, wishing away all the tension. "That might be true, Cassie, but it takes one to know one," Balthazar finally says and Castiel pulls his wrist away as if he had been burned, and perhaps he had in some metaphoric way.

As Castiel was turning, Anna was the one to speak the final words. "Take care of yourself, Castiel. Because no matter what, we will still love you." The final words were more like a final blow as Castiel sulked past tables and back into the kitchen where he had allowed Dean to wait.

He stormed through the doors and tore off every piece of restaurant gear he had on, clocking out with rage still invading him. Pamela and Dean had long since stopped their conversation and Pamela was hesitantly walking towards Castiel. As she went to ask what happened, Castiel exploded. "_Take care of yourself, Castiel; it takes one to know one!"_ Castiel growls in disbelief, looking at Pamela as he speaks. She starts for a moment before he continues. "Of course I was calling him a selfish bastard because he wouldn't have let me go. I have to go my own way sometimes!" Castiel is pacing, barely remembering Dean is in the room. "But the _nerve_ Balthazar had to call _me selfish_! I'm _far from selfish._ I work two jobs to help provide a home for myself and Jack!"

Yes, Castiel was rambling. He tended to do things like that when he was angry, but Dean wasn't really paying attention to what Cas was saying. He was noticing everything else about him, like how extremely hot he was when he was angry. His pale skin went just a shade of red that made him look flushed, he kept licking his lips to keep them moist, and the way he kept messing his hair up gave him a look that seemed like he just rolled out of bed. Or just had really good sex. Take your pick, but Dean was choosing the latter. It caused heat to build up in his stomach, the heat of arousal, and he shifted on his feet as he stood up straighter. Whether it had been a good idea to invite Castiel out for drinks, he wasn't sure, but he was curious about the mysterious man and wanted more… more information that is.

The way his lips move as he speaks makes Dean bite his own lip for a moment because damn it, he wasn't supposed to be attracted to men. He was Dean Winchester, ladies' man. Or that's what he thought he was anyway. He manages to look away as Castiel begins talking again, just as flustered. "He needs to learn to stay out of things! He's always had that problem! You wanna know one of the reasons why I didn't tell him I was leaving? He didn't like the fact I was gay. He shunned me for 2 months after I finally told him. Now he wants to come around and try to talk to me again?" Cas huffs and brushes a fallen strand from his forward. "I just want to go get a drink and forget about it."

"And that's what I'm here for," Dean chimes in and Cas smiles at him, a real smile that reaches his eyes and makes Dean's heart ache because _he's not his._ Dean smiles back as Cas grabs his coat.

"Pamela, I take it you'll report to Zachariah on how things went," Castiel says and Pamela nods enthusiastically. "I will see you tomorrow then." And with that, Dean and Castiel are headed out the door. "Do you drive a car?" Castiel asks innocently.

"Yeah, I drive a 1967 Impala," He says in a soft bragging voice, a smirk overrunning his nervous features because _damn it, he's going on a potential date with Cas._ "She's a real beauty and she's right here." Dean pats the black Impala and Cas looks at in, nodding his head in approval.

"She is indeed beautiful," Cas agrees and Dean smiles to himself as he walks over to the driver's door, opening it as Cas gets in the passenger side. "You take very good care of your car."

Dean smiles to himself because it's true as he puts the key in the ignition, listening to the purr of his Impala for a moment before taking off towards the Roadhouse. "Yeah, I think most of my girlfriends get jealous because I pay more attention to my car than I do them," Dean jokes and Cas chuckles under his breath. "Speaking of which, how's your relationship with this Jack character?"

It's only when Castiel goes rigid that Dean's mind is screaming _wrong words, wrong time; wrong words, wrong time!_ As Dean is stammering to backtrack, Cas puts a hand up to silence him. "Jack and I have been together for a while now, but I honestly do not know if it will work out," Cas says quietly, realizing it was the first time he's said this and it hurts to admit it. He clears his throat and looks out the window of the Impala. "Perhaps it will get better in the coming months, perhaps it won't. I'm truthfully not holding my breath though."

Dean looks over at the smaller man who now seems a lot more fragile as he huddles against the car door when he hits a red light. Dean feels bad for bringing the subject up and wants to do something to make up for it. He exhales deeply and the light turns green, the movement of the car allowing him to relax slightly. "Who knows? Maybe you'll find someone to help you make up your mind on the topic of leaving or not," Dean offers and he thinks he sees Cas smile, but he's not sure.

Cas thinks over Dean's words and his heart is heavy because he knows what needs to be done, but is too afraid of what might happen. With a painful inhale, Cas leans his head on the Impala's window. There is a silence that takes over the two of them and it remains until they pull into a space near the Roadhouse.

"It's a short walk, but hey, it'll be alright," Dean says quietly, a smile spreading on his lips as they both step out of the Impala. "This place is well worth any distance of walking," he explains casually as they walk side by side towards the bar. "The atmosphere is nice, the alcohol is awesome, and I know the manager; what more could I ask for?" Dean is just trying to keep up conversation and looks over to see if Cas is reacting at all.

Cas is just nodding along with what Dean is saying, mostly listening to the sound of his voice and not the words themselves. Dean's voice is something he could listen to for hours on end and he wants the voice to belong to him and only him. The thought makes Cas chuckle at himself and Dean looked at him in confusion. "Just thinking…" Cas murmurs and Dean nods as he grabs Cas's elbow to lead him into a building. The touch of his hand is soft, but firm, and Cas bites his lip as he is dragged behind.

The bar is just like Dean said it was, and they were immediately greeted by a middle aged woman whom Dean called Ellen. She let them have a seat at the bar and they ordered drinks. "I love this place, it's usually a place I come to just to you know, meet some people, but sometimes I just come here to wind down after a hard week on the job," Dean explains, pressing the bottle of beer to his lips. Cas watches as Dean swallows, his mouth suddenly becoming very dry as he sees the shine of liquid on Dean's lips. He forces himself to look away as he takes a drink of his own beer. "Do you normally go out to bars?" Dean asks him.

"Not usually. I normally just go home after work so I can fix Jack and myself a late dinner," Cas answers with a shrug, taking another drink of his beer. "Bars are more of Jack's scene than mine."

Dean watches Castiel's expression when he says this and sees that look of pure hatred on his face, like the bar had stolen Jack away from him. Dean placed a hand on Castiel's shoulder gently and Cas looks at him, his eyes emotionless. Dean doesn't know what to say, so he just looks Cas in the eye, gives his shoulder a squeeze, and goes back to his beer.

Castiel doesn't know what to say either, so they just sit there. They order bottle after bottle, Castiel drinking more than Dean did because he truthfully doesn't want to go home to what he knows is waiting. After about an hour and a half, Dean and Cas both decide it would be better to start heading home. "I'll drive you," Dean offers and Cas can't find the strength to say no. They stumble out to the Impala and both slide into the seats before Dean is taking off towards where Castiel said his house is. "Thanks for coming with me," Dean says, a sly smile coming to his lips as he glances over at Castiel.

Castiel is in between the phase of buzzed and being drunk, so his thoughts are foggy. He looks over and glances at Dean with a lopsided smile. "It's no problem. I wanted to come" he replies and Dean raises an eyebrow. "It seemed like it would help with the situation of how we don't know each other well," Castiel explained, though his brain was laughing at him while repeating _such a liar_ over and over in a sing-song voice. He smiles ruefully to himself and continues looking at Dean. "You are a very interesting man, Dean.

Cas's voice is low and causes Dean to shift in his seat as he looks over at the man again. Blue eyes are glazed over but everything else seems normal. He looks back at the road as Cas places a hand on his arm. He swallows hard and looks down at the pale hand. "Yeah, I can say the same about you, Cas," Dean chokes out and he hears Cas shift into a different position in the seat beside him.

Cas traces his hand up Dean's arm before he lightly traces his bicep. This is why he doesn't drink much, his desires are always brought to the surface and he's always too confident about it. Dean is tensing and trying to relax at the same time, making his muscles move under Cas's fingers. Cas sighs contently and unconsciously licks his lips. Dean is trying to think of something to say, something witty or flirty, or both, but he's blank. He is about to clear his throat when suddenly, Cas is nuzzling his neck and he bites his lip. "Cas… Cas, I'm going to crash if you don't let me focus…" Dean grunts and Cas chuckles against his neck, the breath of it making Dean shiver.

"I thought you cared about your car more than that…" Cas teases, his lips pressing feather-light kisses on his neck. Why he was acting this way, he didn't know. He would certainly regret all of this in the morning to come.

Dean bites his lip harder, nearly drawing blood as he curses under his breath. Cas's lips are soft and gentle and _Dean fucking loves it._ He can't think of anything to say and bites back a groan as Castiel nips at the delicate skin of his throat. "Cas…" Dean whispers and Cas licks at the abused flesh. He feels Cas's hands on his biceps, squeezing as Dean grunts again. Then, quicker than he would've liked, he pulled up in front of Cas's apartment. "Cas… we're—" Dean was beginning before he was cut off.

Cas moved his lips gently against Dean's, his hands moving from his biceps to his hair as he deepens the kiss. Dean is speechless and frozen for a moment before the alcohol takes over. His hands move to Cas's hips and grips them, as if afraid the mysterious man would try to move away. Dean was the one to lick at Cas's lips, begging for more, which Cas was more than happy to provide. There was a brief moment of a battle, each man tasting the alcohol of one another and a taste that couldn't be describe. Cas was the one to break the kiss, pulling back abruptly as his mind cleared just enough. "I-I didn't mean to do that," Cas stammers, his pale cheek flushing from his neck up. "I'm so sorry, Dean. I-…" Cas didn't know what to say and he quickly opened the door of the Impala, escaping as he rushed into his apartment building, leaving a flustered Dean behind.

**A/N: Okay, so Cas got a lot more confidence after having a few drinks. Let us hope he doesn't do anything to get himself killed with Jack… **_**sigh…**_** Oh, Cassie…**


	8. Chapter 7

**Chapter Rating: M  
Chapter Wordcount: 2,500  
Warnings: M/M intercourse  
****Disclaimer: ****I do not own any of the Supernatural characters, they belong to Eric Kripke (whose work I love).**

Castiel stumbles up the stairs to his apartment as fast as he can, slightly bouncing off the walls when he hits them. He's breathing hard for more than one reason but doesn't understand why he would do that to a straight man. Dean had been with a woman tonight, for the love of all things good! Dean had kissed back though, had showed Castiel he had some interest, but it was the alcohol. That's what Castiel kept telling himself anyway. He loathes himself at this given moment and doesn't want any mercy. He wants to get what he deserves for cheating on a man whom he had been with for a long time, no matter how horrid the man was. Castiel trips on the top step and falls to his hands and knees in front of his apartment door. He hits the floor a few times in frustration before he hears a sound beside him. His head snaps up and he looks to find a sober Jack looking down at him in what appeared to be amusement. "Looks like you're ready for tonight."

Dean didn't stick around much longer after that, not wanting to know the consequences that might come if he tried to talk to Castiel. Castiel had been drunk, the drinks he had made him, hell, Dean didn't know; horny, maybe? It didn't make sense to Dean, yet it did in the same way. Castiel was gay; he liked guys. Dean was a guy, a hot one at that, and he had expressed something for Castiel. And God, had Cas taken that invitation and ran with it, not that Dean was complaining. He had helped Castiel along with it and he could still taste the other man on his lips. "Fuck…" Dean curses, running a hand down his face when he reaches a red light. Cas had seemed so _torn_ before he got out of the car though. This is when something broke the surface: the memory of how _every-fucking-body_ kept mentioning Castiel's boyfriend, and even how Cas and Dean himself were talking about him no more than 2 hours ago. He hit the steering wheel in frustration as he shouted a "FUCK!" before a car behind him honked and he began driving again. Not before flipping off the car that honked first though. _Fuck, this isn't good._

Castiel wasn't exactly sure why he was being so submissive and allowing Jack to have his way. Jack wasn't being rough though, not mostly. He had helped Castiel to his feet in the hallway before walking him into the house. It was only when the door closed that Jack enveloped Castiel in his arms and claim his lips in a kiss that was passionate but _ohsowrong,_ but this was Castiel's punishment for kissing another man when he was in a relationship. When Jack's tongue invaded Castiel's mouth, there was a growl of approval. Jack pulled away from the kiss and trailed his lips down Castiel's jaw and nipped possessively at the skin of his neck. "You should drink more often…" Jack comments, and Castiel isn't sure whether he said it because of how he tastes or how he's acting. Castiel is pushed against the apartment door and Jack is as close as he could be. His forehead is pressed against Castiel's as his hands go travel south, resting on Castiel's ass as he applies a bit of force, raising the smaller man to where Castiel had to stand on the tips of his toes. "Put your legs around me."

Dean is debating with himself on what to do. He knew one thing, and that was he couldn't go back and attempt to find Castiel. He couldn't begin to guess what would happen if Jack saw through what they would try to pass as a friendship. It was all so fucked up. He just met the guy, but there was something about him that Dean had never felt towards another _person_. Castiel was different from anyone Dean had ever met, and he couldn't deny that. There was something deeper that Dean couldn't quite see. There was something that made Dean want to hold the man, something so fragile as if he would break with the slightly of touches. Dean could feel so many different burning sensations in his soul, but could only decipher two of them. One was care, and the other was something that began with "L" that he couldn't bring himself to admit. _I don't even know the dude…_ Dean slumps down in his seat because he feels he's just scolded himself. He looks briefly at his watch, seeing it's only 11, meaning it's only 8 where Sammy is. It's almost a relief as he pulls out his cell phone. He presses 1 on his speed dial and places the phone to his ear. As soon as the line clicks on the other side, Dean forces a smile. "Hey Sammy; I need someone to talk to."

Castiel isn't sure how they got there, but they were on their bed, his coats thrown and forgotten somewhere among the room along with their shoes and socks, Jack leaving trails of unwanted fire on Castiel's skin with his fingers. The normally drunk fumbling of Castiel's buttons were now swift, precise motions and soon, Castiel's torso was exposed. Jack's lips and teeth were abusing the skin, Castiel's nipples being roughly bitten at, but Castiel involuntarily arched into it. "Good boy," Jack cooed at him, his tongue trailing down his navel as Castiel squirmed under the wet feel of it. Jack sits up enough to strip of his own shirt before his fingers undo the button and zipper of Castiel's dress pants. Then, with a single motion, Castiel is left bare. Jack smiles in the dark and thinks Castiel is finally coming around to his behavior, but the only thing keeping Castiel in such a mood is the alcohol in his veins. Well, the alcohol and the need for any punishment against his sin.

"_Dean, I don't understand. Why is it bad that you found someone you actually like and you kissed them?"_ Sam's voice filled Dean's mind and Dean grunted because when you put it that way, it didn't sound that bad. But it was that bad; actually, it was worse.

"Sam, there are two reasons why this is a bad thing!" Dean growls and Sam scoffs on the other line. "One of them being this person has a boyfriend!"

"_Oh, yeah! Like that's ever stopped you before! You nearly stole one of _my_ girlfriend's before, Dean!"_ Sam huffs and Dean almost smiles at the memory, because Sam had been so pissed off.

"This is different," Dean murmurs, the heat rising to his cheeks as he tries to think of how to phrase his next sentence. Sam is silent on the other line, waiting for Dean to continue, but Dean doesn't know if he can.

"_How is it different this time? If you're okay with stealing your brother's girlfriend; what's so different about this chick's boyfriend?"_ A pause. _"Oh God, Dean! It's not your boss's girlfriend, is it?"_

Dean laughs at that one, a small laugh though. "No, no Sammy…" Dean sighs and wishes he hadn't called his brother now. "The difference is the chick isn't… uh… it isn't a chick…" Dean bites his lip. "I think I fell in love with a guy."

"You're so beautiful," Jack whispers in Castiel's ear as he strips of his own pants and underwear. Castiel is beginning to feel that sickening twist in his stomach because he know what comes next, especially when Jack is opening a side drawer and pulling out a bottle of lube. He clenches his eyes close when he hears the cap click open and he bites his lip to keep from crying out when Jack forces a slick finger past the tensed ring of muscles, entering Castiel's body. He shakes with the effort he makes to relax, but Jack ignores it as he thrusts the finger in and out of Castiel's body. Another finger is added and Castiel is clutching onto the covers as Jack continues his preparations, scissoring his fingers. An unintentional moan leaves Castiel's lips when something deep in him is brushed, but that's when Jack removes his fingers. "Are you ready, baby?" Jack murmurs against Castiel's soft skin that was covered with bruises he ignored, his teeth nipping at it as he slickened his own erection with the lube. Castiel nodded once and Jack smiled, lining himself up with Castiel's opening and thrusting as far in as he could with a single motion.

"_A guy?_" Sam echoed and Dean chewed at his lip, trying to see if Sam had anything else to say. "_I'm not judging, but I gotta say I'm surprised. I always thought you'd fall in love with some cheap hooker."_

Dean let out a breath of relief and smiled to himself slightly, though it faded. "Nice to know you have so much faith in me, Sammy," Dean comments offhandedly. "This guy isn't just a simple guy though. There's like… something about him that grabbed me."

"_I never thought I would hear anything remotely close to that ever leave your lips,"_ Sam seems to admit and Dean grumbles under his breath for a moment. "_Is this guy serious about his boyfriend?"_

This surprised Dean greatly. "Sammy, I can't believe you're asking. I thought you would tell me not to mess with their relationship and stop being such a jerk! You surprise your big brother every day!"

"_Shut up and answer the question."_

Dean shrugged, before remembering Sam can't see him. "He mentioned something about he thinks things aren't going to get any better. I think from what he was saying his boyfriend's a drunk or something."

"_A drunk? Does the guy hit this dude or something?"_

Dean's stomach churned uneasily. "I don't know. He didn't say anything about it… But he's like all covered in bruises… Oh God, what if he does? I just left Castiel back there with this jerk!"

"_Go back and check! Call me back when you get anything, or if you need help!"_ Sam growls and then Dean hangs up, finding a place to turn around and heading as fast as he could towards Castiel's apartments. He did think to call Bela on the way there to see which apartment was Castiel's though.

Castiel had to bring a fist up to his mouth to keep from screaming at the feel of being so invaded. It was wrong, so wrong, but he fucking deserved it. That's when Jack began thrusting; his motions smooth and slow, allowing Castiel to adjust to the invasion. Castiel swallowed hard and lowered his fist so he could grip the sheet again, his eyes slipping closed. He didn't want to be here with Jack, he wanted to be with Dean at the bar again, or in the Impala. He wanted to hear Dean's voice again, let it take over his mind and make him forget that Jack was waiting for him at home. "Oh God, baby, you're so tight…" Jack purrs, but Castiel doesn't hear the words in Jack's voice; he hears the words being whispered to him so lovingly but a certain man with green eyes. "So beautiful and all mine." _All yours, Dean,_ Castiel thinks shamelessly, licking his lips as he begins to picture it's Dean who's inside of him right now and not Jack. A breathless moan escapes his lips as the thrusts gradually become faster and harder; something a bit desperate about them.

Dean is cursing as he gets stuck behind cars that keep stopping at the freaking stop lights when he has more important places he needs to be. _God, please let Castiel be okay and please smite that no-good bastard known as Jack if he's ever even so many as touched Castiel in a negative way…_ Dean thinks, prays, as he's stuck behind another car who drives like an 80 year old grandma. He taps impatiently on the steering wheel and is tempted to pull around the car when it proves impossible. He growls in frustration as he adds patience onto his prayer for the forward.

Jack's fingers were pressing into Castiel's hips painfully as his hips snap to bury himself in Castiel repeatedly, loving the moans the smaller man emits at his actions and he wants so much more. Castiel hadn't made the noises he was making now in so long, and he was starving for them. "Yeah, that's it baby. Tell me how much you love it…" Jack murmurs, staring at the face of Castiel. His blue eyes were hidden, but his face was in a sheet of ecstasy. _Oh… Oh Dean… Fuck…_ Castiel's heated thoughts were carefully placed to a section of his mind where they wouldn't pass his lips, and Jack's thrusts went just deep enough to brush Castiel's prostate, gaining a loud moan of approval that had Jack getting more frantic with his thrusts. One of Jack's hand came and began stroking Castiel's own straining erection.

"Fuck!" Castiel shouts at the combined sensations, his babbling multiplied. Dean's name was on the tip of his tongue as the thrusts continue.

Dean is just pulling onto the street of Castiel's apartment and he's trying to think of a good idea of what he was going to say when he knocked on the door. What if Jack answered? He couldn't just deck him and pull Castiel out with him, could he? He could get arrested and lose his job. He parked and bit his lip, knowing every second he wasted could mean Castiel's pain. Then, he thought of something simple, yet complicated, about how he was wondering if they had a phone switch-up and was out of the car and headed for the apartment door and steps. He tore the door open and was in the hallway of them all, but he was immediately going up the steps because he couldn't wait. He kept repeating the address Bela had given him over and over again, but he knew he wouldn't forget it for the world right now. _One more flight of steps, one more…_

The pleasure Castiel was feeling was something he hadn't felt in so long and he didn't want to let it leave him so soon. He was holding on as long as possible, but he could feel his power over it all slipping. Jack, with his voice masked by Castiel's mind's Dean, was beginning to babble and his fingers dug deeper into the soft flesh. White hot pleasure was building up in Castiel because he kept seeing Dean, kept hearing Dean, kept believing it was Dean. Jack was gasping above him and he shouted curses as he came, his hot seed spilling inside of Castiel and pulling the other man over the edge as well. Castiel's vision bleached white and his toes curled

Dean's fist had just begun to knock on the door when he heard it.

"_Deeean!_"

**A/N: Oh sweet Gabriel, he didn't just do that! R&R and tell me what you think will happen in the next chapter!**


	9. Chapter 8

**Chapter Rating: T  
Chapter Wordcount: 3,000  
Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Supernatural characters, they belong to Eric Kripke (whose work I love).**

He couldn't move, couldn't bring his feet to take a step because of the shock he was left in. Castiel had just… just _screamed_ his name in what sounded like bliss. He wanted to run, wanted to do anything but stand there, and his hands helped. His fist raised and knocked tentatively three times on the door and he stood there, chewing his lip in anxiety. He was praying Castiel would be the one to answer, but what were the odds it wasn't that drunken man he called a boyfriend? Dean grunts in displeasure and continues to wait; ignoring the quizzical stares he was getting from other residents who peeked into the hallway. There was no doubt in his mind that they too had heard Castiel's outburst. Dean cleared his throat and knocked on the door again, beginning to get a bit uncomfortable with all the eyes on him.

Castiel's vision stayed white, his heart hammering in his ears so much that they blocked out his hearing, and his skin was tingling. He felt Jack slip from him and there was a dip in the mattress before it rose again, leaving Castiel alone on the soft surface to bask in his blissed-out glory. He was oblivious to the fact that he had shouted out the wrong name, but if he knew, he would feel good in a way. It would bring him one step closer to breaking away from the hell he had found himself in. He doesn't hear Jack put on his pants again, or the knocks on the door that Jack is padding down the hall towards. He merely thinks Jack is off to take a shower or something; he's not exactly sure and he doesn't quite care. His mind is still focused on Dean, imagining flushed skin pressed against him as a loving kiss is exchanged, because this is what he wants. He wishes for love, and not just sex.

Dean is about to walk away when the door opens, revealing someone he almost feared to see. The man had dark hair, piercing blue eyes, and was only wearing jeans. His skin looked flushed, even in the cheap lights, and he looked at Dean with a cocked eyebrow. "Were we really _that_ loud?" He asks in a bit of surprise and Dean didn't know how to reply, feeling the heat of anger color his skin like a blush. He had touched Castiel, not in an entirely bad way, but in a way that made him rage. "Sorry about that," the man says, his smile cheeky as he brushes a hand through his hair. "I promise it won't happen again."

Dean ignored most of what he was saying, fighting the urge to punch the guy. "You're Jack?" He says in a low, dangerous voice, and Jack's smile wavers. Dean knows his look probably is deadly, but can't bring himself to care.

"_Yeah…_" Jack says tentatively, his eyes guarded now, before enlightenment seems to dawn on him. "Oh! You heard him… _Ooohhh…"_ Jack trails off with a chuckle, his smile returning once more. "Yeah… I guess it must be payback or something, I'm sure I've done it enough times when I was drunk… He went out for a few drinks tonight and has never been too good at holding his liquor. He was probably thinking of an actor or someone from one of the romance novels he reads…" Jack shrugs but his smile remains. "Who are you, though? I haven't seen you around."

Dean feels a smile creep up onto his lips and then, something sounds the hall. It causes Jack to turn to look and Dean peek in over his shoulder. A door is opening ever so slightly in the back and out walks Castiel clothed in nothing but a pair of boxers. He's rubbing his eyes sleepily, a slight limp to his walk, and he stops dead when he sees the two men at the door. Dean sees him swallow hard, or rather imagines seeing him, in the dim light and he offers a smile that only Castiel can see.

Castiel had just came down from his high, though he still felt light, when he realized that the bed was empty of his boyfriend. He blinked in confusion, and checked the alarm clock to make sure that he hadn't went to sleep, but it was still night from what it told him. He hums in interested and moves to swing his legs over the side of the bed, grimacing at the pain he feels shoot up his spine, and goes to scavenge for a pair of boxers. He grunts as his foot moves along the articles of clothing until he picks a pair up and puts them on. He is oblivious to the voices in the front of the apartment as he decides he wants a snack. He stretches his already loose muscles and opens the bedroom door. The sight is what makes his muscles tense all over, and both pairs of eyes are trained on him now. The green ones offer a smile, but there is something strained about it. A question pierces the air.

"Dean?"

The next thing that happens is so fast, he doesn't think he saw it all. Suddenly, Dean is against the wall, his back hitting the surface too roughly and he grunts as blue eyes are locked on his own green ones. The first instinct is to fight back, which the other man doesn't seem to think he would do. Dean pushes him away and swings, his knuckles cracking painfully along Jack's jaw. The latter staggers and Dean lays another hit to his abdominal, making Jack bend in on himself, trying to protect the injured sections. Neighbors had gathered into the apartment and were trying to pry the two apart as Castiel looked positively torn, not quite sure what exactly had happened. Against his better judgment, he ended up at Dean's side, his chest on his shoulder offering any sort of support.

The reaction he gets isn't what he was hoping for as Dean's whole body tenses up, his chest heaving as he doesn't look at the other man. "Pack a bag. You're coming with me for a while," Dean says gruffly, shaking his hand ever so slightly at the pain that was still pooling into his knuckles. Castiel bites his lip, glancing at Jack who is looking at Dean with the look of a murderer, and he nods, letting his hand trail off Dean's shoulder as he starts towards the bedroom again.

"Don't listen to him, Castiel…" Jack's voice fills the hallway and Castiel freezes. "Remember who you love, who saved you from your parents." Castiel's hands clench at his sides, because he knows this is what Jack does whenever Castiel is about to do something he doesn't approve of. "Remember who has stuck by your sides through all your mistakes." Castiel feels tears burn his eyes. "Remember who wants you." _Wants_ is the only word that rings through Castiel's mind, because he knows that Jack will never love him, not in the way Castiel would like him to. No, Jack would love his body, love his obedience, but would never love _him._

Dean watches in horror as Castiel's hands unclench, his shoulders slump, and he's afraid that Castiel might've listened to him. Jack shoots him a smug look and Dean wants to punch him again, wants to add onto the pain that is already there. A strained, mysterious voice breaks Jack's mood though as it says, "Perhaps it would be better to be separate while I figure out a happy-medium in our relationship." Dean's tempted to give Jack the same look he received, but is more mature than that, plus now's really not the time. Most of the neighbors had long since retreated, except for two men who were more than capable of holding both Jack and Dean back and away from each other. It was both a blessing and a curse, in Dean's opinion. He was glad someone was saving him from himself, but he wasn't so much about the fact that they were also saving Jack from him.

Castiel closes the bedroom door behind him and stares at himself in a mirror that is on the far wall right across from it. His look is confused, hurt, and determined, all in one. He knows this is his one chance to get through his problems without worrying about Jack coming home, his one chance for dealing with Jack with someone by his side. He wasn't sure why it had come along though, or even how. What was Dean doing at his door in the first place, and what had triggered such a response from Jack at the mere mention of his name? He slid down the wood of the door and folded his hands in his lap as he bowed his head. "_Our Father, who art in heaven; hallowed be thy name…"_ Castiel begins in a whisper, his mind clouding over as he prays to the only power he believes can help him at this point.

"You ruined my relationship," Jack sneers after a few minutes of silence, his reddening cheek swelling as well. "You came and tainted Castiel with the thoughts he needed someone more, when all he needs is me."

"Your relationship was ruined before I even spoke to him," Dean comments haphazardly. "With the bruises everyone ignores, the forfeited look in his eyes… You killed the spirit of an angel long before he even knew I existed." The comments elicited shock from both of them. Dean had never exactly thought about saying those things, but it was like someone was helping him through this, someone who needed the help more than he knew. Perhaps it was his will to help the broken man who was behind a closed door, both mentally and physically.

Jack lips curled into a snarl when the shock subsided and his eyes were dark with hatred. "You don't know what we've been through. I'm doing what's best for him."

"And what's best for him is you taking what you want and not giving anything in return? Even you have to know how selfish in so many ways, and not to mention you take in the worst ways," Dean said and ignored the awkward stances of the other two men in the room, having long since forgotten about them. "Castiel deserves so much better than you, Jack, and you're too scared to admit it because you know he's better than you'll ever be."

Dean's on the ground with a stinging jaw before he even knows what hit him, and the two reinforcements are pulling Jack away from him. Dean puts a hand to his mouth for a moment to check for blood, which seems to be pouring from his lip, and rolls his jaw with a smirk. "'d rath'r you hit me then ev'r place a hand on Cas," Dean comments around his already swelling lip, with his accent lazing from the lack of effort in speaking, fighting a smile when Jack fumes at a lack of response.

Castiel wipes his hands across his watering eyes, and forces himself to his feet as he grabs a duffel bag for the closet of the room. He doesn't know how long he will remain with Dean, or perhaps only away from Jack, and decides to pack 3 outfits and 3 pajamas. If he needed more, he could always come back, since this technically was his apartment. He racks a hand through his tussled and sweaty hair with a wrecked sigh. He hated things like this, hated when he didn't know things. In this situation, it was worse than ever before. He didn't know how this situation came to be, or how it would end. The unknown was probably one of the only real fears Castiel had, because what lurks in the dark had always been what would hurt him in the end. His hands were shaking as he zipped up the duffel bag, allowing the bag to drop noisily as he began to dress in jogging pants and a plain white T. It was late, by the time he got to wherever he was going, he would sleep; what's the point in putting on a real outfit? He slips on a pair of slippers, packs his tennis shoes and work shoes in the duffel bag, and then places the strap over his shoulder. He takes a deep breath and opens the bedroom door, stepping out into the too cold hallway.

Dean was still sitting on the floor, though his back was comfortably leaning on the wall behind him now, when Castiel opened the door. Dean's eyes racked along his body without a second thought, even though he had just seen Castiel only partially dressed some time before. The look Castiel gave him when he saw he was on the floor was almost adorable, the worry that was there unmistakable, and Jack was seething when he noticed. Dean, with the wall for support, makes his way to his feet, offering Castiel a deformed smile. Castiel's eyes landed on Dean's swollen lip for a moment and he looked guilty, but Dean didn't comment on it yet. "Ready?" He asks.

Castiel nods and glances at Jack with the look of apology, but no remorse before he heads towards the door that Dean opens. He walks out and is followed by Dean, hearing Jack hiss the word "traitor" at him like he had given away the secrets of his plan to take over the world. Castiel looks at the floor as he walks, feeling Dean's hand take a hold on his forearm as he steers them out of the apartment building and into the New York night air. It's only out there that Castiel decides to speak. "I'm sorry, for what happened in there," He murmurs, and swears he sees Dean smirk even though it's hard to decipher his expression at that moment.

"Don't worry about it," Dean offers as a reply as he opens up the Impala's passenger side door, ushering Castiel inside before he has a chance to speak again and firmly closing the door, hoping Castiel gets the metaphor. As he crosses to the driver side door and gets in, listening to the purr of his car's engine when he starts her, Castiel decides to show he either didn't understand or didn't care.

"I will worry about it," Castiel says, his voice cracking as he stares out the window, fighting the urge to sleep from the vibrations of the car. "How did you even come to meet Jack?" Castiel asks, his curiosity stronger than his common sense of not wanting to know.

"I was… I was coming to check on you, when I heard…" Dean was fighting for words on how to say what he wanted to say and cleared his throat slightly, finding it was becoming tighter the more he spoke. "I heard you say my name," Dean forces out, and Castiel pales in the face before becoming bright red.

"I… It… Your name…" Castiel stuttered and he knows what was wrong now. "I screamed your name in intercourse, didn't I?" He asks quietly, and when Dean doesn't reply, but rather bites his lip, he buries his face in his hands. "I apologize, Dean, I'm sure I didn't mean to do that… I don't even remember doing it…" Castiel groans into his hands, hiding himself away from the world, but starts when Dean puts a hesitant hand on his knee.

"It's alright, Cas…" Dean says, though he's not sure if he is. Having a guy you barely know scream your name when having sex with his boyfriend is pretty major, but he guesses it sums to him blowing off sex with a hot chick because he might be in love with said guy. He doesn't remove his hand as he maneuvers the Impala onto another street, edging his way to his home. He almost feels relieved when Castiel covers his hand with his own. He turns his hand where the palm meets Castiel's and laces their fingers together.

Maybe it was just spur of the moment, maybe it was for support to one another, but Castiel felt it was something more; something right. Something had sparked between them the first time they met, like a single match being dropped into a puddle of gasoline. Castiel allowed his eyes to close now and he rested his head against the window, the vibrations of the car and hum of the engine just enough to pull him towards the deep sleep he craved.

Dean looked over after a few silent minutes and smiled when he sees the sleeping Castiel. He thinks about how he looks younger when he sleeps as he focuses on the road again, willing his house closer to him as he does, his own eyes beginning to droop. He pulls into a free parking spot and gently extracts his hand from Castiel's loose fingers, sliding them down his face for a moment just because he can. He knows he has to wake Cas up and sighs as he nudges the man soft. "Cas, come on man, we're here, you can sleep on a bed," Dean prods and Castiel grumbles as his eyes open up slightly.

"Bed?" Castiel grumbles and Dean smiles, nodding. "M'kay…" He yawns as his hand searches for the door handle, making Dean smile again.

"I got the door, but you gotta walk," Dean says and Castiel nods, yawning again. Dean is quick to get out of the car and get to the passenger side. It's as he opens the door that Castiel panics for a moment, flailing because he had fell asleep against the door again. "Oops." Castiel pouts as he stumbles out of the car and then he follows Dean into the home. It's there that Dean decides to scoop him up as he begins to sway. "I've got you."

_**R&R!**_


	10. Chapter 9

**Chapter Rating: M  
Chapter Wordcount: 2,500  
Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Supernatural characters, they belong to Eric Kripke (whose work I love).  
A/N: Sorry this took so long! Summer vacation is finally here though and I finally get to write **_**all the time!**_** Woo hoo! Let's adventure into Dean and Castiel's lives again!  
Chapter Warning: Slight masturbation…**

Dean is carrying Castiel bridal style up the stairs of his home, enjoying the feel of Castiel's arms around his neck. The man is babbling in his subconscious state, the words coherent but there's a small smile that Dean loves already. He had never actually been in love before, not that he could remember anyway, but what he had with Castiel, it had to be love. What else would explain the gravitational pull they had towards the other? Castiel's fingers tighten into Dean's hair at his neck, as if he's afraid he isn't real. "Shh…" Dean soothes softly in Castiel's ear. "I'm right here, you're with me." He's not sure what else he can do for such a battered man but give him reassurance. It seems to have worked though, because Castiel's fingers loosen again. Dean fights a smile as Castiel babbles again, his words barely making it past his lips to even be words. Dean takes small notes of how Castiel seems so much younger like this, when he's asleep. Everything about it is smooth, besides a bit of rough stubble on his chin and cheeks.

Dean kicks the door open gently to the master bedroom and walks carefully over to the bed where the comforter is still on the floor from the morning's fight with it. Had it only been that morning? It was almost hard to believe, seeing as how much had happened. He places Castiel gently on the bed and gently removes the slippers from his feet. He scowls at the blankets on the floor and goes to his closet to retrieve new ones. As he enters the closet, Castiel's babbling becomes words. "Dean?" His voice is frightened and Dean mentally panics, gripping the blankets in his hand as he rushes out to the main part of the bedroom. Castiel is sitting up on the bed, his eyes wide but sleep was still written on his face. When he sees Dean, he lets out a relieved sigh and smiles at him, his expression strained. "Sorry, I…" Castiel trails off and bites his lip.

Dean's muscles retract and he smiles softly as Castiel. "No problem, Cas. I can understand that," Dean assures and Cas nods, his eyes going around the room. It's not much, in Dean's opinion, just blank walls with a few pictures of necessary furniture.

"Is this your guest room?" Castiel asks and Dean shakes his head as he walks over to the bed and begins placing the cover on it, effectively wrapping Castiel in the soft fabric.

"My bedroom," Dean says when Castiel tilts his head in confusion. Castiel eyes widen in understanding as he fidgets. Dean picks up the comforter from that morning, tossing them to a corner to be washed later. Dean smiles at Castiel again. "Take a load off, Cas. You look like you need the sleep," Dean comments and Castiel nods, lying back onto the bed, his eyes already heavy again. Why he felt so comfortable around Dean, he didn't know. It was just an aura that Dean gave off, it seemed.

"Thank you Dean," Cas murmurs and Dean waves off the gratitude as if it wasn't important.

"It's no problem, Cas," Dean assures as he begins to strip of his own clothing, tossing the clothes to the corner with the comforter. When he had finished, he looked over to see Castiel was already asleep. He smiles to himself again. As he goes over, sits gently on the bed, and pressed his lips to Castiel's forehead. "G'night, Cas…" He whispers, his eyes lingering on the other man's lips for a moment.

Dean gets up to move to the guest bedroom when he finds himself restrained by something on his wrist. He looks over just in time to catch a barely audible "Please stay with me" come from the sleeping man. Dean bites his lip for a moment before sitting on the bed again and laying down as he got under the covers. Castiel almost automatically clings to him, his subconscious mind moving him to lay his head on Dean's sternum.

Dean breaths out a sigh of almost relief, because it just feels so right. His arms wrap around Castiel's slender figure gently and his eyes slide close. He's almost asleep when he hears something vibrating against the wall where all the dirty laundry is. His eyes slide open again and he growls. He knows it's his phone, but can't bring himself to care. He's guessing it's Sam, so he decides he'll talk to him in the morning to come. His arms tighten around Castiel as the phone has 4 bouts of vibrating before it finally stops. Sam is a persistent bitch, that was for sure. His eyes slide close again and he slips into a deep sleep with Castiel's fingers tightening around one of his biceps.

When the morning came, Castiel opened his eyes groggily, but felt better rested than he had in a long time. He smiled, repositioned his head back on his pillow, and closed his eyes. Then, his pillow moved, _moved._ His eyes shot open and went to sit up, but found himself held down ever so slightly. He sucked in a breath through his teeth and turned his head. On his back in only a pair of boxers from what Castiel could tell was Dean, his lip slightly swollen and his eyes opened into small slivers. Just the sight of him brought Castiel back to last night and he feels guilt begin to tear at him, causing him to swallow hard. He was in Dean's arms, in what looked to be Dean's house, in a bed that belonged to Dean, when he was supposed to be thinking through his relationship with Jack. _What relationship?_ A small voice in the back of his head prods and he pushes it away for now, deciding to focus on the man that was… under him… "Dean…" Castiel breathes and Dean offers a small smirk, his green eyes still mostly closed.

"G'mornin'," Dean offers, his arms tightening around Castiel as he stretches, bringing him closer to him again. They were less than an inch away and Castiel's breathing made a noticeable hitch. Dean catches his wide eyes and lets out a content sigh, because really, having Castiel in his arms made him sleep better than ever before. His thumbs rub circles on Castiel's hips and lower back, going under the fabric of the shirt he wore the night before. "Beautiful…" Dean lets sleep before he can really stop it. Castiel blushes and rests his forehead on Dean's, half trying to hide the color on his cheeks and half trying to be closer to the man. Dean leans up and brushes his lips over Castiel's, testing how he would react, and lays back down on the pillow under his head. "Can I ask you a question?"

Castiel's head was whirling, but he needed this, he could feel himself aching for some kind of love that Jack couldn't give to him. "Mhmm…" Castiel hums in reply after a moment, leaning down and capturing Dean's lips in a soft kiss. Dean eagerly returns it and they're like this for a few moments, Dean holding Castiel tightly and their lips moving in union. Castiel's the one who pulls away, his breathing coming out in slight gasps. "What's up?"

Without warning, Dean rolls them over so Castiel is under him, holding him weight off the man with his elbows as he looks down at him. "If…" He pauses, placing a chaste kiss on Castiel's lips before biting his own lip. "I… Uh…" Dean clears his throat and shakes his head. "I can't think of how to put it," Dean admits and Castiel eyebrows knit together in confusion. "Let me make some breakfast and uh… I'll think about how to put it," Dean sits up, looming over Castiel now, but Castiel's hands lock behind his head, tugging at his hair and bringing him back down.

"No…" Castiel whimpers, his eyes soft and trying to understand. "Just phrase it the best you can." His hands sooth the hairs at the back of Dean's neck back to where they had been before, his eyes trailing to Dean's lips, then back to his eyes.

Dean licks his suddenly dry lips and his eyes try to focus on anything but Castiel, but go to his neck. Dean sighs and, after wrapping Castiel in his arms again, sits up. Castiel gasps as he finds himself straddling Dean. Dean smiles, a part of it looking nervous, and Castiel gets comfortable on his lap. "If you had an opportunity to be with someone other than Jack, would you take it?" He whispers and Castiel tenses in his arms, his look going shocked and his lips pressing together in a line of uncertainty. Dean feels his stomach churn and he bites his lip again. "Cas?" He murmurs and Castiel meets his eyes.

"Are you offering?" Castiel asks, his eyes flashing between emotions, and Dean eyes snap to look at the wall behind him as he shrugs. Castiel moves his hand and makes Dean look at him again. "Dean…" Castiel murmurs, leaning forward and giving a slow kiss. When he pulls away, Dean is looking at him, hope in his eyes. "I…" Castiel begins and sighs. "I'm sorry, but I'll truthfully have to think about it… Dean, we barely know each other which makes this whole situation," he waves his hand to signal to how they were sitting, "even worse than it already is."

"You're saying this is wrong," Dean states, his voice sounding slightly betrayed and Castiel was quick to deny it.

"No," Castiel snaps and they lock eyes. "I'm just saying this isn't right. I'm dating Jack," Castiel is cut off when Dean snorts and he glares at him, beginning to remove himself from Dean.

"No, wait," Dean whispers, pulling Castiel back down. "It's just… Is _that_ what you call a relationship?"

Castiel doesn't reply, he just looks away and Dean sighs, nuzzling his neck when he gets the chance. "I've never had anyone other than Jack, Dean..." Castiel whimpers, feeling Dean press his lips to his neck, tilting it to give him more access. "I'm not even sure what a real relationship i-ahh…" Castiel whines when Dean licks at his skin.

Dean smirks against the skin for a moment before pulling back and looking at him, his expression going solid. "Cas, if you'll let me, I'll show you how a real relationship should be during the time you stay here…"

Castiel searches Dean's eyes, looking for any sign that he might be lying, but doesn't find any, so he just nods. Dean smiles and pulls Castiel into a hug, shocking the latter. "Thank you" is all Castiel can think of saying.

"I will do my best to show you Jack is the worst there can be…" Dean promises and Castiel fidgets as Dean shifts until Castiel crawls off his lap. Dean presses a kiss on Castiel's cheek as he rolls off the bed. "Want anything for breakfast? I took the day off so you didn't have to deal with place alone on your first day," Dean says and Castiel feels something ache inside of him.

"I would enjoy something, yes," Castiel answers and goes to get up, to walk, but his back aches in protest. He whimpers and Dean is there at his side again before he can say anything.

Dean places a comforting hand on the small of Castiel's back and helps him stand up. "Go soak a bit to try to dull the pain and I'll have some pain medication ready for you when you get out," He whispers and Castiel nods. Dean smiles at him, but Castiel sees a bit of anger in his eyes that isn't aimed at him. "The bathroom is through the door over there, and there are towels in the closet that is right behind the door."

Castiel nods and heads in the bathroom. He closes the door behind him and moves to look at himself in a mirror. Yes, he is still covered in bruises, but for once there is no fear that is written on his features. His shoulders are relaxed, his body is free of any trembling, and his eyes are trusting. This could be his big break, this could be his knight in shining armor finally arriving. He strips of his clothes, grabs a towel from the closet, and steps into the shower just as he hears Dean start singing in the kitchen somewhere below.

Dean is in his boxers still as he is looking in the fridge, looking through the contents as he thinks back to his conversation in the bedroom he had with Castiel, his singing of Led Zeppelin's Ramble On dying into a hum as he picks out some eggs, sausage, bacon, and biscuits to start cooking. Castiel was right. They barely knew each other. So why was he so set on making him see they belonged together? He grunted as he started cooking, moving his thoughts away from the man who was currently in the bathroom showering. A shiver ripped down his spine at the thought and he licked his lips. He can't risk thinking like that anymore…

Castiel's hands fumble with the container of Dean's Irish Spring body wash, the water pressure soothing his muscles as he strains to hear any sounds coming from the world below where Dean is cooking. Nothing is heard besides the faintest sound of sizzling bacon and Castiel fights the urge to pout. He squeezes the bottle when he gets it open and the contents fall into his hands. He closes the bottle once more and spreads the content evenly onto his hands before he begins to lather it onto his body, his mind once again drifting to Dean's hands all over him. He curses quietly, feeling himself becoming hard. On its own accord, his hand slips down to his semi-erect shaft, beginning to stroke himself.

Dean is finishing up the food as he begins to worry about Castiel, noticing he had been in there a while. He puts the food aside, and also remembers he has to call Sam. He gathers his courage, heaves a sigh, and goes upstairs towards his bedroom. As he enters, he hears the shower still running and decides to give Castiel a few more moments before checking on him; since he still needs to call Sam and all. He walks over to his dirty laundry, picks through it until he finds his pants, and then takes his phone out. Just as he scrolled down to his little brother's name and pressed call when he heard something coming from the bathroom that made his heart speed up. With the phone still in his hand, he walked towards the bathroom, not hearing Sam pick up the phone. Dean began to twist the doorknob and heard the unmistakable sound of slapping skin and his name like a soft prayer.

**A/N: So yeah. I wonder how the next chapter is going to go… **_**nudge nudge, wink wink…**_** Prepare yourselves! Love you guys! R&R!**


	11. Chapter 10

**Chapter Rating: M! M M M M M!  
Chapter Wordcount: 2,500  
Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Supernatural characters, they belong to Eric Kripke (whose work I love).  
Warnings: Masturbation, rimming, M/M intercourse, and oral sex.**

* * *

Castiel's hand is pumping at a slow speed as he imagines Dean behind him, his own hand doing the torturously slow movements. Castiel's breathing keeps hitching and his free hand that is keeping him up is trying to find purchase in something as his knees begin to tremble. "Dean," He breaths, throwing his head back and allowing his hair to get wet again in the water that had been previously hitting his back. "_Dean,"_ He moans softly, moving his head forward and placing his forehead on the shower tile, whimpering and moaning softly as his thumb brushes the head of his erection. "_Please_," He begs, not noticing the footsteps out in the bedroom, or the sound of a cell phone dropping onto carpeted floors.

Dean hadn't heard anything Sam had said, had forgotten he had him on the line, and dropped the phone, effectively closing it and ending the call. He twisted the knob the rest of the way and stepped into the steamy bathroom, his mind fogging over like the mirror he didn't spare a glance at. Through the blurred glass of his shower, Dean could make out the figure of Castiel, his head against the wall with one of his hands, the other pumping on a part that Dean's mind kept going to. The whimpers and moans were louder in hear, and Dean's own shaft twitched in interest at the sound of his name. "_O-Oh…_" Dean hears Castiel stutter and sees his hand speed up. Dean tries to keep quiet as he palms himself through his boxers, feeling his shaft begin to harden. "_Dean!"_

Castiel bites his lip to keep quiet as his other hand goes behind him and, with water to slick them, presses a finger inside himself. He whimpers again, the hand on his erection stuttering as he begins to set a rhythm for his finger as well. Castiel is leaning with his entire chest against the tile now, trying to find something to keep him upright as he continues to pleasure, and torture, himself. "_Yes…_" He whines, chewing his lip as he begins to quicken his speed with both hands. "_More."_

Dean is licking his lips as he strips of his boxers, his erection springing free and he steps towards the shower where Castiel is still making noises that he would think about for days to come. He opens the door silently and slips in, closing it just as quietly as he opened it. Castiel is less than 4 feet away from him, his eyes locked shut and his hands stuttering in their actions. Dean's head, the lower one, takes control now. He shoots forward and presses into Castiel's back, placing kisses along his upper back and smirking when Castiel gasps. "You called?" Dean whispers in his ear, nibbling his earlobe.

Castiel's breathing is labored and he moans when he feels Dean so close, feels his excitement pressing into him. Castiel nods frantically, feeling Dean's hands drift down and squeeze his ass, pushing away his fingers. "Please, Dean," Castiel whines as Dean chuckles, tracing Castiel's opening with his finger. "Want you," Castiel breathes, "Need you."

Dean's smirk fades as he licks his lips again, running his tongue from the top of Castiel's spine down as he sinks to his knees. Castiel rocks his hips into his own hand, pushing back against Dean who has just reached his knees. Dean chuckles when Castiel is stammering over an apology. "Shh…" Dean shushes, leaning forward to nip at one of Castiel's cheeks as Castiel jerks, his free hand going back to the wall as he tries to keep his balance. "Let me help you," Dean murmurs, leaning forward again and sweeping his tongue against Castiel's puckered hole.

Castiel can't stop himself from moaning this time, and he pushes back against Dean's tongue, whining for more as his hand moves faster on his erection. "Dean, Dean please!" Castiel begs and Dean's tongue presses harder, breaching into the whining male before withdrawing his tongue again. Then he repeats.

Dean listens to Castiel's moans and begging until he's sure Castiel is close and withdraws completely. As Castiel begins to give protest, Dean quickly pushes past the ring of muscles with his finger, beginning to stand from his knees. Castiel's knees buckle when he does this and Dean gets up just in time to catch him from falling. Castiel's arms reaches behind him and wraps around Dean's neck as the fingers work him, another one being added as Dean begins to scissor them. Castiel whimpers and presses back into Dean's digits. Dean grunts and adds a third finger, his pace staying the same as he prepares Castiel.

"Dean…" Castiel whines and Dean places a kiss into the tousled hair. "I'm ready… Just please…"

Dean's heart skips a beat at those words as he pulls his fingers away. "Cas…" He whispers as he starts to worry. "Are you sure? I don't have any l-…" Dean begins, but is cut off by Castiel pushes back against him.

"I don't care Dean. Just do it; do me!" Castiel growls and Dean bites his lip.

"Alright," He murmurs, wetting his hand and pumping his erection to get it as wet as he could with the water. "Turn around," Dean orders and Castiel does without hesitation. Dean pushes him gently against the tile wall and pressed close to him. "Wrap your legs around me," Dean whispers as his hands cup Castiel's ass again, pushing them upward as Castiel nods. With the help of Dean and the wall, Castiel wraps his legs around Dean's waist and his arms lock around his neck. Dean bites his lip as the top of his erection brushes against Castiel's opening, feeling the heat it radiated off. He groans and Castiel is pushing down, trying to get some sort of friction.

"_Dean_," Castiel whines, but it turns into a small shout as Dean pushes upward, sheathing his erection in a single thrust. Castiel's eyes snap shut and he leans his forehead into Dean's shoulders as he tries to get used to the feel. Even after last night with Jack, it still hurt. His breath was shaky as tears rolled down his cheeks.

"Cas?" Dean whispers, worried he had done something wrong. He had done this once more, but that had been in college and he only did it, as stated, _once._

"Just… Just give me a second," Castiel whispers and Dean places soft kisses on any piece of skin he could reach until Castiel sighs. "Move," he orders, and Dean complies.

His first thrust is shallow, but that is followed by him withdrawing almost completely before pushing back in. Castiel clutches onto Dean's back, his blunt nails leaving slight red lines in their wake. "Damn…" Dean grunts and Castiel whimpers as Dean pushed in a bit harder. "So fucking tight, Cas… So beautiful…"

Cas's eyes flutter shut now, whimpers escaping his lips every now and again as he just enjoys being held. "Dean…" Castiel moans as he opens his eyes, finding green eyes glazed over with lust and adoration. He leans forward, capturing Dean's lips in his and begins meeting his thrusts the best he can. Dean groans into his mouth as he clutches at Cas's hips a bit harder, probably to the point of where there could be possible bruises later.

Dean is trying to make this last, trying to keep his thrusts to a certain pace, but it's not enough for either of them. As Dean begins to speed up his actions, Castiel gives a moan and a whimper as Dean's lips trail down his jaw to where his neck is, his teeth nipping at the skin there. "So beautiful, Cas," Dean whispers against the skin, licking the places where he nips. "So perfect."

Castiel mewls at the words and how Dean's thrusts go deeper, stroking against his prostate now. He throws his head back, giving Dean more access to his neck, and is trying to form a coherent thought. "Dean!" He whines, pushing down harder to give Dean a message that Dean immediately understands. Castiel bites his lip to keep a scream locked away as Dean's thrust slam into his prostate. "Oh— Oh _fuck_!" Castiel groans, his hands finding purchase in Dean's hair as one of Dean's hands go to his erection. Dean's strokes match up with his thrusts and Castiel is trying to hold on as long as he can, his hands fisting tighter into Dean's hair as Dean grunts, his own climax building.

The warm feeling in his stomach is getting intense for Dean and he can tell Castiel is close as he begins to stutter incoherent words. His strokes become faster, his thrusts a bit deeper, and after three, four, more thrusts, Castiel lets out a loud moan as he cums, painting his and Dean's stomach and Dean's hand in it. At the feel of Castiel clenching around him in a vice-grip, Dean manages a few more shallow thrusts before cumming deep inside of Castiel and shooting his cum-covered hand to the wall to be sure he doesn't fall over. "Fuck…" He whispers as he tries to recover his vision that had flash white during his climax.

Castiel whimpers in front of him, and when he regains his vision, Dean's shaft gives an interested twitch at the sight in front of him. Castiel's cheeks are flushed, his lips red and swollen from their kissing, and his hair was sticking up in several directions. His eyes were still unfocused and Dean could feel his slender legs shaking from their place around his waist. "Dean…" Castiel whimpers and Dean places a soft kiss onto his temple.

"It's alright, Cas, I still got you," Dean assures and Castiel nods, leaning forward to rest his head on Dean's shoulder. "Let's stand you up on your own feet," Dean whispers in his ear and Castiel nods again, unwrapping his legs from Dean's waist and slowly putting each of them onto the shower floor. Dean keeps his arms around Castiel as he slumps against his chest, too blissed-out to really be safe to stand on his own. Dean smiles and brushes his hand through the dark locks. "Close your eyes, Cas, gonna wash us off," Dean warns and feels Castiel's eyes close, his eyelashes kissing the skin on his shoulder.

Dean moves them under the now-cold water and Castiel hisses at the feel of it, so Dean makes quick work of washing the cum off of them before shutting the shower off. Cas is beginning to straighten up now and he stares up at Dean with worried, innocent eyes that made Dean's heart ache. "Why did you do that?" Castiel whispers and Dean offers a small smile, but can't really think of an answer that won't ruin the progress of this through the future. Dean just leaned down and shared a short kiss with Castiel, shrugging after a moment.

"I wanted to," is the best answer he can come up with right now and Castiel isn't pressing the subject. "Is it... Was it…" Dean waves his hand, signaling to the thin air as he is at a loss for words.

"It was amazing, Dean," Castiel murmurs, his flushed cheeks reddening into a deep blush. It was true. That was the best sex he'd had. Ever. Dean had been so… loving, and it was all so different from what Castiel had ever experienced. Even now, Dean was just trying to be sure that he was pleased. Dean's smile is filled with relief and Castiel straightens up enough to give Dean a kiss. Dean wraps his arms around his slender frame as he returns it, and soon, Castiel is backed against a wall again. They break apart, panting for air as Castiel's hands travel down and begin to palm at Dean's shaft, that is twitching in interest again and is already beginning to harden.

"Shit…" Dean groans just before Castiel switches their positions, pushing Dean against a wall instead as he sinks down to his knees much like Dean did earlier. Dean's breathing hitched as Castiel was face level with his semi-hard erection, but he gives a lustful groan when Castiel's tongue laps at the head. "_Fuck yes…_" Dean gasps as Castiel's tongue continues on down Dean's shaft, reaching his balls before going back up in slow movements.

Castiel enjoyed the sounds Dean was making above him, especially the groan of his name when he sucked the head of his shaft into his mouth, feeling the member harden further between his lips as it gives a slight throb. His tongue swirls around the head just before he takes a bit more into his mouth, one of his hands coming up to stroke at the remainder that he didn't have in his mouth, the other going to cup Dean's balls. Dean gasps out, his hands going down to twist into Castiel's hair. Castiel takes about another inch of Dean into his mouth before he begins bobbing his head, going until only the tip remained in his mouth before going back, taking a bit more than before into his mouth. Castiel rolls Dean's balls in his palm while he does this, feeling Dean's erection prod at the back of his throat after a while. He lets out a throaty groan at the feel as Dean's nails scrap ever so slightly at Castiel's scalp. Castiel scraps his teeth lightly across Dean's shaft, causing Dean to shudder just before he runs his tongue along the vein on the underside.

"_Cas,_" Dean growls as he feels something more tight and hot envelop the crown of his erection. He lets out a sharp gasp as the rest of his shaft disappears into Castiel's mouth and realizes that Castiel is deep-throating him. The realization causes his hips to buck involuntarily, and Castiel moans around his again, sending electrical shocks up and down his spine until they rest warm in the pit of his stomach. Castiel's hands hold at Dean's hips now, the nails digging into the skin as he continues his movements, eliciting sounds from Dean each bob. Dean's hands are pulling at his hair, not harshly, but enough to cause a bit of a sting, and Castiel's nose nuzzles against the hairs that decorate Dean's pelvis area. Dean grunts and his hips develop a mind of their own again, forcing away Castiel's hands as he thrusts into Castiel's mouth. Castiel gags slightly and Dean gasps at the feeling. "Shit, Cas, I didn't-…"

Castiel adds a bit more pressure to his sucking as he looks up at Dean with false innocent through dark lashes. Dean catches one sight of him, and he's shuddering and gasping through a second orgasm, spilling his cum into Castiel's mouth. Castiel swallows all of what he has to offer and pulls away with a wet pop. A trail of cum rolls down Castiel's chin as Dean looks down at him again when he can see again. He groans slightly and Castiel smiles. "So… How about breakfast now?"

* * *

**A/N: So, yeah, that was my Destiel sex scene. Probably not the best, but I honestly tried. Don't forget to R&R! (The button's all pretty on my browser. Am I the only one?)**

**A/N 2: I have no beta, so if there are some mistakes, forgive me 3**


	12. Chapter 11

**Chapter Rating: T  
Chapter Wordcount: 2,566  
****Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Supernatural characters, they belong to Eric Kripke (whose work I love).  
A/N: I am so sorry for the excoriatingly long wait. I've been writing prompts on tumblr (follow me at Fluffy11698!) and playing Sims 3 (I'm an addict). I'm been writing other stories as well, of Destiel and Stony (Superhusbands… Captain America/Iron Man. I love it). If you wanna read those, ask me and I'll send you links! Hope you enjoy this chapter! LOVE! (:**

* * *

As Dean helped Castiel back to his feet again, he places a chaste kiss on his lips, tasting himself there and he smiles. _This is how it's supposed to be_, Dean thought happily as he pulls Castiel out of the shower with him, his hands never leaving some part of Castiel's body as they got dressed decent enough so they could face anyone who decided to drop by. He places another kiss on Castiel's lips, a bit deeper this time, and Castiel pulls away blushing. Dean smiles cheekily back at him and offers his hand to the other man. "To the kitchen?" He asks and Castiel nods, his still-slightly-wet hair spending water droplets onto his shoulder blades as he does this. Dean licks his lips for a moment before smiling as Castiel takes his offered hand. "Away we go, then!"

Castiel follows behind Dean as he's pulled out of the bedroom and towards the kitchen, Dean's fingers interlacing with his to cause an undeniable spark between the two. Castiel was still trying to piece together what exactly just happened in there. He had been so willing, so open, and he, for the first time in so long, actually felt loved. He worries his lip unnecessarily, because what did he have to worry about? Then, Jack crosses his mind and his teeth clamp down, almost to the point of drawing blood. He quickly removed his lip from his teeth and licked the abused flesh there, his heartbeat speeding up just at the thought of how_ outraged_ Jack would be if he found out what he did. But, Castiel had been… happy with Dean. He had felt at his best with Dean, and he wanted to be with Dean… What was stopping him?

Dean could feel Castiel tensing behind him and knew where his mind was, but didn't say anything. There was a possibility that whatever was going to be said could ruin whatever they had started to build up. He, carefully, rubbed his thumb across Castiel's knuckles comfortingly as they reached his kitchen (which also served as his dining room) and he smiled as he retracted his hand from Castiel's and pulled out his chair for him. "After you," he says lowly, his voice seducing, and Castiel blushes again, sitting down and scooting himself closer to the table as Dean went to get the food and the utensils. "The food might be a little cold now, seeing as we probably spent some time in the shower…" Dean said and smirked as he could hear Castiel shift in his seat in embarrassment. "But hey, it was for a good cause," he says, going to the table again to set down two plates and two pairs of knives and forks. He placed a short kiss on Castiel's cheek, because seriously, he couldn't keep his lips off the man, and then retreated to get the plates of food. "I wasn't exactly sure what you liked either, so I made bacon, eggs, sausage, biscuits, pancakes, I found the different fruits I had, and I can make anything else that you might want as long as we have it," Dean says, setting down all the plates one at a time.

Castiel smiles to himself at all the food options, feeling special that Dean would do all this for him and he looks up at him with adoring eyes. He watched as Dean noticed and how the man's cheeks turned an ever-so-slight pink before he took his seat across from Castiel. They stared at each other for a moment before Dean motioned for Castiel to go ahead. Hesitantly, Castiel reached forward and took some of everything, trying to be at least a good guest, and everything did look good since all he normally ate was something small when he was with Jack. The name seemed foreign in his mind. _Jack._ It was like it belonged in someone else's story, but of course Castiel isn't heartless enough to actually wish someone like Jack on anyone but himself; no one else deserved such treatment.

Dean settles in the seat across from him, his feet nudging Castiel's ankle slightly with a genuine smile as they look at each other. Castiel takes a bite of the food, humming in approval, and Dean immediately smiles, taking some food of his own now. "This is very kind of you, Dean," Castiel says after swallowing his mouthful. "It's very unlike what I'm used to."

Dean mutters something under his breath that sounds something like _why do I not doubt that_, causing Castiel to look at the wood of the table as he blushed. Dean nudged his ankle again, his hand hesitantly going across the table, laying on top of Castiel's. "Don't," he whispers and Castiel looks up slightly, his eyes confused, hurt, and so happy at the same time. "Don't let anything about him bring you down. I'm going to help," he whispers and Castiel nods. How had they gotten here? They've only known someone for a short time, but perhaps a saying that Castiel once heard before is true: _It takes a minute to have a crush on someone, an hour to like someone and a day to love someone - but it takes a lifetime to forget someone._

Castiel heaves a sigh, because what else is he supposed to do. He's fallen for a man he barely knows while he was with a man who he knows perhaps too well. He swallows hard and Dean's thumb rubs his hand. They eat in silence, their hands staying with each other on the table as they did so. When they finished, Castiel calls the restaurant to try to take a sick day. Zachariah is the one who picks up the phone. "Fantino restaurant, what can I do for you?"

"Yes, Zachariah, this is Castiel Novak. I am calling in sick today," Castiel says professionally, hoping not to get any trouble from his boss who normally gave anyone and everyone some sort of trouble.

But Zachariah just chuckles. "Don't worry about Cas," he says, Dean's nickname for him rolling off easily and Castiel fidgets. "Take a day off. You deserve it after the rating you got us from that food critic."

"The rating?" Castiel repeats, vaguely remembering how he waited on Balthazar and Anna the previous evening. "And what did I get the restaurant?"

"5 stars and _excellent _comments on our waiters; a comment even said he would come back whenever he had the chance," Zachariah said, seeming to praise Castiel, causing the dark-haired male to smile to himself. "Good job, Castiel, enjoy your day off." And with that, the phone's line went dead and Castiel looked down at his cell phone as he _huh_'d.

"What?" Dean said, hearing the "huh" as he walked into the room. Castiel must've looked dumbfounded because Dean raised an eyebrow at him. "Cas, you alright?"

"My boss just gave me the day off," he says, as if it explains everything. Then, as if on cue, a message from a number he didn't have in his phone texted him saying _I hope you enjoy your day off, Cassy. Be careful._ Castiel furrowed his eyebrows together and Dean walked to his side, looking down at the screen.

"Is that the food critic?" Dean asks and Castiel gives him a look, as if asking how he knew. "I… Uh… He kept calling you Cassy at the restaurant and I overheard him…" Dean murmurs in embarrassment and sees Castiel smile slightly before it disappears.

"He was the food critic," Castiel replies before adding, "and you probably heard from my scream fest in the kitchen at the restaurant, he was a friend of mine when I was still at home."

"And the red head?" Dean can't stop from asking.

Castiel smiles fondly now. "That was my cousin, Anna." Dean nods in understanding and then gives Castiel a smile.

"So, how about we go watch a movie?" Dean suggests, glancing at the stairs that lead up to his bedroom. "Though, I don't honestly know how much attention I'll be paying to the movie," he whispers, getting closer to Castiel and smirking slightly.

Castiel gives Dean an innocent smile, though a smirk is pulling at his lips. "I believe I like that idea," Castiel whispers, leaning forward to nip a bit at Dean's chin. Dean hums and without warning picks Castiel up, throwing his over his shoulder where he begins to carry him upstairs. "Ahh!" Castiel yelps through his laughter as Dean begins to take the stairs. "Dean!" He whines and Dean's hand slaps his butt, causing him to yelp again.

Dean enters his room and puts Castiel onto the bed, crawling above him and smiling down at him. Dean hadn't put a shirt on again earlier, making his torso very tempting for Castiel whose eyes trails down what he could see right now. He licked his lips and smirked up at Dean who had a smug look on his face. "Enjoying what you see, Cas?" Dean teases and Castiel fights a blush as he smiles now and nods. "You're quite the sight yourself," he says, leaning down and kissing Castiel slightly. "But, I believe I need to put on a movie to actually go through with that half of my plan…" He grumbles into the kiss and Castiel laughs lightly.

"What movie are we going to be watching?" Castiel asks as Dean rolls to the side and collapses on the bed before rolling until his feet hit the floor. Castiel rolls onto his side and props his head up on his elbow as he watches the other man closely. There's an armoire that Dean opens up, revealing a TV before opening a draw that is filled with movies. He hears Dean hum before chuckling.

"Let's watch Ice Age!" He says, holding up the CD case and Castiel begins laughing, lying on his back again as he looks at the ceiling. "It's not like we're going to be watching it anyway!" Dean immediately backs up his choice and Castiel smiles at him with flirtatious eyes. "Why do I even _have_ this movie?" Dean asks himself, shaking his head. "I assure you, I am not a man-child. I must've been babysitting or… something…"

"Just put the movie in and come here before I go take care of myself," Castiel says, blushing as he says this but really _wanting Dean right now._ Dean looked over at him for a second and Castiel pulled at the top of his sweatpants to show Dean that he was being serious. Dean licked his lips possessively, turned the TV on, put the movie in, and when the movie was on, rushed to Castiel, ripping the sweatpants off him and smirking up at him. Having Castiel here is going to be fun.

* * *

In the small apartment 15 minutes away, a bitter man sits, looking out the window of the living room at the world below. There are people walking and people biking, and there are people trapped in traffic. He eyes them all, staring at them hatefully as he bathes in his own loathing. How could this have happened after all this time? This wasn't how it was supposed to end. If anything, it was supposed to end with the roles switched.

He gripped the window sill tightly and there was a knock on the door. He grunts, pushes himself away from the window, and goes to the door. He doesn't admit that he hopes it's him coming back, coming back to beg for forgiveness because of what he did. He pulls the door open and there stands a man in a suit nonetheless, and he momentarily panics as he stares at him. Things are moving too fast for him and he stares at the man, believing he's a lawyer. Then, the man in the suit speaks to him.

"Jack," he says bitterly and a few memories pierce through the walls in the man's mind. "Isn't this an unpleasant surprise? I would've thought that Castiel got rid of you by now," he says, turning his nose up slightly and pushing his way into the apartment. "Where is the little devil? He never replied to my text message."

Jack closes the door again, too annoyed to really ask the man to leave because God knows he wouldn't listen. "I'm sorry, you've come at the wrong time," Jack growls at the man, who rolls his eyes without a care if Jack sees or not. "What the fuck are you doing here, Balthazar?"

"That's Mr. Roche to you, maggot," Balthazar snaps at him and their eyes clash. "I'm here to take Cassy with me to get him away from you. We all know what you're doing, Jack." Jack smirks slightly at that and takes a step closer to Balthazar.

"Do you, Balthazar?" He taunts slightly and Balthazar narrows his eyes. "And what am I doing that bothers you so much? Kissing little Cassy and making him forget about his best friend and the life he had back in that Hell? Touching him and making beautiful noises pour out of him? Or perhaps it's the fact that I fuck his brains out and he wears a limp the next day."

"I doubt he wears it proudly," Balthazar snaps without really meaning to, but not caring that he did. "I'm talking about you _hitting_ him, Jack. I've talked to everyone Castiel works with and they all either suspect it, or know for certain. Do you know how _depressing it is_ that Castiel is still with you no matter what you do to him? He's settling and it disgusts me to the point of where I'm tempted to offer him marriage myself just to pull him away from you."

"You don't have to worry right now," Jack growls, going to the window again and picking up a beer bottle, taking a gulp of the alcohol and laughing at himself. "He left with some fucking stud or whatever last night. I don't know if he'll be back or not."

Balthazar laughs aloud at that and claps to show his pride and elation. "And what did this stud look like?" He asks, sounding as if he'd just been given the greatest news.

Jack took another swallow of his beer and a laugh bubbled out of him again as well. "He had… this sandy blonde, or light brown hair and green eyes. He was kinda tan and he was buff, dressed like he was rich though…" He pause, taking another drink and smiling at himself bitterly. "God, he was gorgeous and I found myself thinking he's going to steal Cas from me for sure."

Balthazar listens to what Jack says and looks like he's thinking about something. "Did he have freckles, by any chance?" Balthazar asks and Jack looks at him in confusion for a moment. "I'm just wondering." Jack sighs, thinks back, and nods. Balthazar smiles smugly, remembering how Castiel had reacted at the diner to the man and looked at Jack, walking around him to grab a beer bottle off the table. He takes the cap off and Jack watches him carefully. Balthazar raises the bottle slightly.

"Good luck getting him back now, Jack. With a man like that, you're going to need all the help you can possibly get," Balthazar said, as if giving a toast, before laughing and taking a gulp of the beer.

* * *

**R&R, lovelies! I feel I've been losing myself.  
Make me feel the love!  
And give me ideas before I get writer's block…**


	13. Chapter 12

**Chapter Rating: K+ - T  
Chapter Wordcount: 2,222  
Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Supernatural characters, they belong to Eric Kripke (whose work I love).**

Balthazar was sat with Jack who didn't even try to kick him out or hit him, or even yell at him, and there was a reason behind that: Besides Castiel, Balthazar was the only friend Jack had in college. Jack and Balthazar had actually been great friends before Balthazar had learned about Castiel's homosexuality. He took a swig of his beer and Jack buried his face in his hands, making incoherent noises that Balthazar raised an eyebrow at. "Jack, you sound a lot like a teenage drama queen, could you please just be a man and talk to me like you actually have some sense?"

Jack glares up at his old friend and settles back, his glare softening into pain-filled eyes. "You've known Castiel practically your whole lives, right?" Balthazar nods once, still raising an eyebrow. "Has he always been so…" Jack paused and looked for the word, looking away at the wall. "Fickle?"

Balthazar snorts aloud and nearly chokes on the mouthful of beer he had. He swallows quickly and coughs over the burn it left. "Castiel? _Fickle?_ You've been together for what? 3 years now? And you call that _fickle?_" Jack didn't answer, just looked away and bit his lip. "I've known Cassie since we were 5, we've gone to the same school and have practically been brothers since that day. Castiel has never been fickle unless he found something that could make him happier. Why do you think he left home? He _thought_ he would be happy with you."

"He was happy with me!" Jack sneers back, hurt showing in his eyes still when he looked back at Balthazar. "He was happy with me," he repeats, this time the words were flat. "Wasn't he? You knew him better than anyone."

"The keyword there, Jack, is _knew_. After he admitted he was gay, everything just changed with him," Balthazar murmurs and is pulled into a small flashback.

_Balthazar was sitting in his room, he was 17 and was busy trying to take apart his old Gameboy to use parts of it in a bomb to blow up the school when the door opened. He glanced up, expecting it to be his mother or his father and being prepared to make up a quick lie about what he was doing, but when he saw it was Castiel, he just continues what he was doing. The door shut again but Castiel remained standing, his skin having an unnatural green tint to it. "Cassie?" He asks when he looks up and sees this._

"_Balthazar, there's something very important I must tell you before it's too late," Castiel says, and if that doesn't scare Balthazar nothing will. He drops the Gameboy and looks at Castiel with pure worry in his eyes._

"_Cassie, are you alright? Are you sick or something?" Balthazar asked and Castiel choked on a laugh, his face still green as he seemed to search for the right words. What was Castiel trying to tell him? "You're making me extremely nervous, Cassie. What's wrong?"_

"_Balthazar, you will not be pleased to hear what I am going to say," Castiel warns and Balthazar stands up, going over to his friend and looking into his eyes._

"_Castiel, just tell me what is bothering you. I wish to help you with whatever it is you are dealing with."_

_He watched as Castiel's face became conflicted and his friend swallowed hard. "You cannot help me with this, Balthazar. This is something I want, but you will fail to be able to be happy for me in this."_

"_I beg to differ, Castiel," Balthazar said back, hurt that Castiel would assume he wouldn't be happy for him. "Just allow me to know what you have come to tell me."_

"_Balthazar," Castiel said, his voice slightly strained now. "Balthazar, I'm homosexual."_

_The world had slowed for Balthazar at those words and he stared at Castiel for what felt like a century before he stood. "Out," he had said, not even knowing why. He wasn't thinking straight or something, because he would never push Castiel away. Or maybe he panicked. Maybe he panicked because he was afraid Castiel was telling him that because he was in love with him._

_Castiel had looked at him with so much hurt, so much betrayal and pain in his eyes, but underlying all of it had been understanding. Castiel had somehow understood Balthazar's demand and he just nodded and left. Balthazar was once again alone in his room._

Balthazar was brought back to reality by a smack to the side of his head. His ear rang and he gave Jack a death glare, but Jack just shrugged. "You were in another world," he said and Balthazar took another sip of his beer as he grumbles. "But what you're saying is Castiel turned into an entirely different person when he realized he was gay?"

Balthazar shrugged and didn't admit that it was probably himself that caused the changes in Castiel. "We didn't talk for a while and then I realized my mistake and we reunited, but it was never the same. He introduced you to me, we became friends, but Castiel was always closed off from me, like he was afraid that I might… might push him away again." Balthazar rolled the bottle in his hands and looked at his feet. "I think we both led Castiel to the road he's on now."

Jack was silent before and after he downed the remaining contents in his bottle. He picked up another bottle and offered one to Balthazar who just refused. "Castiel told me he had a crush on you when you guys were in 4th grade," Jack murmurs and Balthazar smiles a bit, remembering back to his childhood as he nods.

"I wouldn't doubt that he did now that I look back on it. If I was… If I was _gay_ I would have taken him long before you came around. No offense to you, Jack, you were a great guy for him at first. Then, you changed and it went all downhill," Balthazar said, his attitude softening from earlier as he really looked at his old friend. "You can't keep him back, Jack. Not when he has someone who will actually love him.

"You're saying that I don't?" Jack snaps, standing up to try to look threatening as his anger seems to peak.

Balthazar watched him closely and stood up as calmly as ever. He placed a hand on Jack's shoulder and looked into the man's eyes. "I'm saying you don't in the way he needs to be loved." Balthazar watches as Jack deflates and sits back down, looking at the wall ahead of him. Balthazar looked at his watch and sighed. "I will return some other time if I do not find Cassie. Take care of yourself, Jack."

Balthazar sets his empty bottle down and heads outside into the New York air. He sighs heavily and looks up to see Jack is back at the window. He shakes his head and starts walking, some puddles of water from a late night-early morning rain shower covering the ground. He hops over one and smiles to himself as he begins to venture further into his childhood.

"_Gah!" Balthazar yelped out as Castiel leapt into a puddle of water and got both of their pants wet. "Cassie! Why did you have to do that?" Balthazar whined as the 7 year old Castiel giggled and ran down the street towards the small park nearby._

"_Live a little, Balthie!" Castiel calls back over his shoulder and Balthazar is racing down the street after him. It's fall and the leaves are everywhere around them, but they were both barefooted and avoiding anything that could hurt their soles as they run. "Hurry up, Balth-…"_

"_Attack!" Balthazar cries out, jumping onto Castiel's back and landing them both in a-luckily-vacant sandbox. Castiel shrieks slightly as the sand gets in both of their hairs, and then they're laughing until tears are escaping their eyes. "You should really look behind you before you tell someone to hurry up," Balthazar says, and Castiel giggles again, nodding._

"_That would have been smart," Castiel agrees and they both smile as they look up and around. "The swings are pretty packed. I suggest going to the slides," Castiel murmurs and Balthazar looks around a bit more. His eye catches something and he grabs Castiel's jaw and makes him look in the direction he's looking in._

"_Merry-Go-Round," they say in union, staring at the currently spinning playground equipment. _

"_Race ya!" Balthazar challenges and suddenly they're both up and sprinting full speed towards the Merry-Go-Round. There are 3 other kids on it and 2 teenage boys are spinning it. Balthazar and Castiel get there on a tie and out of breath. "May we join?" Balthazar asks through his pants and the older boys look at each other and then at Cas and Balthazar again._

"_Sorry, no nerds allowed," one of the kids on the Merry-Go-Round taunts and Balthazar scowls at the spinning person._

"_I beg your pardon?" Castiel asks and the kid on the Merry-Go-Round laughs out loud._

_Balthazar scoffs and rolls his eyes. "The kid is currently thinking he is hilarious because he's making fun of us, Cassie. Obviously, he's just jealous that a couple of 7 year olds can outsmart him. I bet he's 10, and we already know more than him."_

"_Balthazar, what are you-…" Cas begins, but Balthazar sends him a look that silences him._

_The kid laughed again and jumped off the Merry-Go-Round. "Please, just because you speak like nerds don't mean you're smart," The kid taunts and Balthazar smirks._

"_You must really believe you can pessundate us, you immature little child. You are so closed-minded that you think that if you are sevidical that we will just give in and go away. Well, you are just annoying me with the oncethmus that is sounding from you so I suggest you make your leave," Balthazar sneers._

"_Balthazar, that wasn't very nice…" Castiel whispers and even the teenage boys look confused. "He said that you must truly believe you can destroy us and that you are close-minded and think if you use harsh words that we'll leave. But all he seems to hear from you is the sound of a donkey and you should leave."_

_Everyone seems to exchange a look as Balthazar stands up proud and the teenage boys shrug. "I say let 'em on. They're entertaining," one of them says and Balthazar smiles in victory as the other kid scoffs and begins walking away._

"_Fine, you hang out with the nerds," he sneers over his shoulder as Cas and Balthazar hop onto the Merry-Go-Round. The admiration in Castiel's eyes isn't ignored by Balthazar who feels like he's on top of the world._

Balthazar yelps out just like he did that day when a passing car splashes him with water from a larger puddle on the street. He growls out loud and looks after the car, wishing for something to throw at it before sighing and continuing on in damp clothes. No one even looked at him as he passed. It must be a normal thing for them, the bastard. Balthazar turned the corner and whistled lowly as he got closer to a coffee shop.

He steps inside and catches a few lines of conversation.

"Hey Chuck, has Castiel called? He normally is looking for more work on his off days," a woman asks and Balthazar watches them closely.

"No, surprising not. He must've had a rough night," an unseen man says and Balthazar begins walking in normally as another man speaks.

"I wouldn't doubt it with that guy of h-…" The other man trails off as the woman nods towards Balthazar. "Never seen him before."

"I'm not a resident to your city," Balthazar said and they all stare at him, the unseen man making himself seen now. "I was actually coming here because I hear the coffee is fantastic and the fact that I might see my friend again. I think you were just talking about him. Castiel Novak?"

"You know Castiel?" They all asked and Balthazar smiled.

"Know him? I'm practically his brother. Now, do any of you by any chance know a man with green eyes and freckles that Cassie might've known?" Balthazar asked.

"You mean Dean?" The woman asks and Balthazar shrugs. "He came by yesterday morning and he set up a dinner date with some girl with Cas as the waiter."

Balthazar points at her. "Bingo, that's the man I need to find. Do you have any clue as to where he might be?"

The woman stares at Balthazar for a moment before sighing, pulling a pen out and writing an address down on a napkin. "You didn't get it from me," she states and Balthazar smiles.

"Of course not, you're too innocent a woman. Have a nice day," Balthazar calls over his shoulder as he rushes out of the coffee shop, taking out his phone, and getting directions to the address he believed Castiel was at.

He could've asked Castiel himself, but what fun would that have been?

Besides, if he wanted to see if Castiel was really getting out of Jack's hold, he wanted to see it for himself. He smirked softly.

_I'm coming for you Cassie._


	14. Chapter 13

**Chapter Rating: T  
Chapter Wordcount: 2,032  
Disclaimer: ****I do not own any of the Supernatural characters, they belong to Eric Kripke (whose work I love).  
Apology: I'm a horrible updater since I'm so busy. Don't hate me!**

Castiel's head is laid on Dean's chest, fingers dancing along his chest and arms, the tips lightly tracing designs onto the muscles. Dean is humming in pleasure, his mind working around all things Cas. Cas places a kiss onto Dean's sternum and Dean smiles, carding his fingers through Cas's hair gently. The smell of sex clings to the air and when it used to make Castiel more nauseous than he'd like to remember, he liked it now; liked it when it was with Dean. "I've never had this," Cas confesses in a soft murmur, fingers pausing as he looks up at Dean with soft, open eyes. Dean's hand stops at the nape of his neck and he looks at him in question. "I've never been held like this about sex," he explains, looking away in a bit of embarrassment.

Dean clenched his jaw a bit, his thumb rubbing comforting circles into Cas's neck, trying to get him to look at him again. "This guy never really knew how to love you," Dean comments softly and Cas just shrugs. Dean sighs, brushing his fingers into Cas's hair again. "I want you to be here so I can hold you like this, Cas. I don't like how you always worry about him," Dean admits softly and Cas's eyebrows furrow as he frowns. "You don't deserve to be treated like he treats you. You're a human being, Castiel," He says and Cas just nods, fingers beginning to trace their patterns onto Dean's skin again.

"I just don't know, Dean. I've been with him for a while and no one has tried to help me… Why are you trying to help me when you barely know me?" He asks, looking up at the other man with curious and hopeful blue eyes, and Dean leans down, kissing him gently. Their lips move together lazily for a few moments, making Cas's heart ache because of how much he wanted this, and Dean pulls back with a sigh, hand going up to cup Cas's cheek, thumb brushing gently over his cheekbone. "I've never had anyone care for me like you do."

Dean smiles weakly, feeling somehow special but otherwise angry. How could someone not care for someone like Cas? He was perfect inside and out, at least in Dean's eyes, and he was going to kick that unworthy son of a bitch for a boyfriend Cas had if he came so much as in a mile's radius of Cas again. "I don't like knowing people are getting hurt," he whispers to him, "and for reasons I honestly don't understand, I want to help you more than anyone else I've ever met and I'm not used to that." The confession leaves them both silent for a moment before Cas rolls and straddles Dean, hands on his chest as he looks down at him.

"I care about you too," he whispers and Dean's hands hold his hips gently. "And I'm glad I met you, because you're the only one who cared when you noticed these…" he says, prodding at the bruises on himself. Dean swipes his thumb gently across the ones on his hips, frowning. "I thought these marks would just show who I was. I thought I would be with Jack for life… but I know that's not true now. I know what I want." When it says these words, it's louder than it should be in the suddenly thick aired room, more than their earlier sex in the air now, and something inside Dean burns brighter. Cas leans down and kisses him softly, slowly for a moment before pulling back. "I want to be with you."

The brightness inside of Dean exploded at him and he kissed Cas again with passion, tongue slipping past his lips as he deepened the lip lock. He rolls them over, hovering above Cas and making him gasp. "You don't know how much I wanted for you to say that," he whispers against his lips, kissing him again. Castiel kisses him back now, over his previous surprise. The two kiss for a few moments before Dean pulls back, kissing down his jaw and nipping at his neck. Cas mewls under the action, angling his neck to give him more access. Dean takes the access, licking along the column of Cas's neck, marking Castiel as what he needed him to be: His.

Things are getting heavy again when there was the sound of the doorbell, ringing 3 times in a row, taking a short break, then being rang 4 more times. The pattern reminds Cas of something but he can't place his finger on what he is thinking. Dean grunts a bit at the interruption, but gets up and gets dressed in a pair of sweatpants. He didn't feel like whoever was at the door was really too important. He'd say a few things and then he'd be able to go back to Cas. He hears Cas following his lead, dressing in a pair of pajama pants and one of Dean's shirts. Dean manages to admire the sight for a few moments before the doorbell rang again and he growls to himself. "I'm coming!" he calls down the stairs as he jogs down them to the stairs, opening the door with Castiel looks over his shoulder behind him.

Walking in like he owned the place was Balthazar, smiling like he was the lottery. With the luck he seemed to have, perhaps he had been so lucky. "Cassie darling!" he exclaims, hugging Cas like they had been talking for years and hadn't been avoiding each other. "I was told I would find you here," he explains at the questioning look he received from Cas, though he doubted that was what the look was asking about. Balthazar glanced at Dean. "And you, Dean, you are the first good thing I've seen come into Cassie's life since… well, me!"

Dean scowls a bit at that, but he knows that, in a way, that was probably true. Castiel seemed to have a rough life from what he's seen. Balthazar didn't seem half bad, though he did seem a bit cocky. "What are you doing here? How did you even get my address?" Dean asks in a bit of shock and exasperation. Balthazar just smiles. Dean's own eyes narrow at the look, more suspicion in his look than curiosity.

"I promised the provider of said information that I would not tell you who they were," Balthazar says, pretending to zip his lips. Dean watches in a bit of annoyance as the smile slowly forms into a smirk, a hard contrast from the previous inviting look.

But Dean knows one actual person who would give a random guy his address. "God damn it, Bela," he growls, shaking his head. Balthazar shrugs, not giving him a yes or no if it was the named female. Dean sighs. "Fine, make yourself at home. Not that you haven't already… want a drink?" Dean asks, closing his door as Balthazar walked into the living room and sat on the couch.

"No thank you, I met with an old friend and I am approximately 4 beers away from being legally drunk," Balthazar said. Dean watches in a bit of worry as Cas stiffens at the words 'old friend.' He could guess who Balthazar was referring to and he grimaced. "Ah, so you know the jackass then," Balthazar comments, noticing their reactions. Dean nods grimly. "He wasn't as bad in his younger days, I assure you. He was actually a very nice man from what I knew of him. Not that I knew much…"

Castiel looks away at the words and Dean tries to meet his gaze in a bit of concern. "Cas? You okay, baby?" Dean whispers in a bit of worry. Balthazar watches the exchange with a pang of guilt.

"Castiel, I did not mean it in that sense, I hope you know," Balthazar states. Castiel lets out a bitter laugh and looks over at him with sullen expression guarding his eyes and his entire body stance.

"You meant everything you just said, Balthazar. Do not even consider the possibility that I do not know you as well as I used to. You have not changed since high school and I can assure you I know exactly what you are thinking," Castiel says sternly and Balthazar's lips press into a thin line. Dean looks between them.

"Should I-?" Dean starts.

"No," Castiel and Balthazar say at the same time, both looking over at Dean and Dean rises his hands in surrender.

"Okay, okay…" Dean says, lowering his hands once more. "Is there a real reason you're here?" He asks Balthazar and Balthazar taps his chin in thought. "Or are you just here for decoration?"

Balthazar laughs a bit at that comment and smiles at the Winchester. "You seem a lot less uptight than I imagined you being, honestly," he says and Dean scoffs.

"Well, thanks for that, _asshole_," Dean says simply and Cas is coming back to life again, smiling softly as he stands close to Dean. Dean wraps his arm around Cas's waist, kissing his temple before smiling into his hair. "You okay?" He asks quietly and Cas nods slowly. "Good. I don't want you worrying about this crap, okay? I'd never let anything happen to you, Cas."

Cas smiles a bit more, making Dean's heart swell because he made him do that. "Thank you, Dean," he whispers and Balthazar watches the exchange with a soft smile.

"There is a reason I'm here, in fact," Balthazar says after a few moments of silence. Dean and Cas both look at him, waiting for further information. "I wish to help Cas to move out of his old life and into his new life."

Dean exchanges a look with Cas and the latter smiles. "Balthazar, I believe that you may just be able to do that soon," Cas whispers and Balthazar grins.

"That's good to hear, Cassie. Very good indeed… So, you're planning on leaving him?" Balthazar asks and Cas nods. Balthazar smiles more. "That's great, really. I enjoy knowing you finally see he isn't good for you."

Cas nods again and sighs a bit. "I guess I was just too blind to see it before. He seemed perfect… But I see now that only someone like Dean is perfect," Cas says, looking at Dean with a fond, loving look. Dean just waves off the compliment, though he smiles.

"It's nice to see that you think I'm better for him than Jack. Even if you don't know me as well…" Dean says and Balthazar laughs a bit.

"Trust me, sweetheart, anyone is better for Cassie than Jack," Balthazar says, smirking as Dean scowls at the pet name. "Just expect for a very difficult test before you even think of marrying him. I'm very very strict on that matter."

Cas blushes and stammers as Dean hides his own red cheeks. "Balthazar!" Cas hisses and Balthazar just grins innocently.

As Dean goes to speak, his phone rings. Dean curses and pulls it out of his pocket. "Hello?" He answers before listening. "Sammy, I'm busy…" He murmurs, looking at Balthazar and Cas for a moment. Cas tries to decipher the emotion there. "Just leave the situation alone Sam- Wait… You're coming here? Like… Here? Sam… Yeah… Right… Bye…"

When Dean hangs up, Balthazar raises an eyebrow. "Your second boyfriend coming home already?"

"Try my little brother, asshole. And he's coming to visit. There's a big difference," Dean mutters, shaking his head.

"Your brother?" Castiel repeats, his look absolutely horrified. "Will he be okay with us?"

"Sam thought I'd fall in love with a hooker," Dean grunts.

"Well, Cassie's the next best thing!" Balthazar chimes in and he gets two sharp looks at that. He raises his hands in defense. "Jokes, darlings! But I'll leave you to your drama. Call me later, Cassie. Much love, Dean!" Balthazar says before leaving as quick as he came.

Dean and Cas look at each other for a long moment before Dean looks away. "Sam won't mind," he says again, but Castiel finds that hard to believe. He just doesn't understand how Sam is.

_**R&R!  
I'm so sorry for not being here. It's been so busy in the life of Ms. Fluffy. But I'll try to post more. Much love!**_


	15. Chapter 14

**Chapter Rating: T  
Chapter Wordcount: 2,053  
Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Supernatural characters, they belong to Eric Kripke (whose work I love)  
Author's Note: Have you all been watching the show Revolution?! Eric Kripke created it and I didn't notice until I watched the first episode for the second time!**

Castiel shifts nervously as Dean talks on the phone with his brother again, talking about when he would be in and so forth. Castiel didn't like this, if he was honest. He didn't like the idea that Dean's brother might not like him, no matter how much Dean assures him that Sam would love him. Could one know his brother that well? Castiel couldn't be sure and he really didn't want to risk breaking a brotherly relationship with his being. He had never been one to cause drama within a family, unless his own counted, but his parents didn't bother looking for him, so he couldn't be sure if that could be counted as causing drama.

There was one thing that Castiel noticed about Dean though, and that was he didn't pace when he talked on the phone. He stayed in one place, whether he was standing or sitting. Dean was leaning on the wall right now though, talking to Sam and smiling softly at Castiel like he was the only one in the world and it made Castiel feel warm inside. Dean shifts so he's holding the phone between his ear and shoulder and holds out his arms a bit, gesturing for Castiel to come closer. Castiel was more than happy to comply and buries himself into Dean's arms, allowing himself to be embraced by the other man. He breathes in happily and smiles a bit as Dean gives a hum.

"Sam, you're going to love him," Dean says, for what seems like the hundredth time and Castiel can hear a soft laugh from the other line. "I know I've said that already but I'm serious. He's… He's just perfect, you know?" A murmur of a response came. "I don't know if he'd feel comfortable with that… hold on, let me ask," Dean says, pulling the phone away from his ear for a moment. "Cas, Sam wants to know if you'd be okay talking to him real quick. He's really curious."

Castiel feels like a deer caught in headlights for a moment as he stares up at Dean unsurely and Dean gives him a reassuring smile. Castiel nods slowly and takes the phone, staying in Dean's arms. "Hello?" He says tentatively.

An audible sigh of relief came from the phone that confuses Castiel. "Hey. Hey you must be Castiel. This is very encouraging," A voice, Sam, Cas presumes, says and Castiel furrows his eyebrows. "I was afraid that Dean had found some addict or something and… Yeah, you're a lot better from what I can tell."

Castiel's confusion lightens and he smiles a bit to himself. "You have a right to worry about your brother, Sam, but I can assure you that I am clean and am no addict," Castiel says and Dean scoffs a bit.

"Did he really think you were a—?" Dean starts out, but is shushed by Castiel, causing him to pout.

"Yeah, yeah sorry about that, really. It's nice to know Dean found someone. I'm really looking forward to meeting you Cas," Sam says and Castiel briefly wonders why everyone likes to shorten his name, if it was just part of today's society or if it was an upbringing trait; or perhaps it was one's way of saying they were comfortable with another. Castiel feels happy again and leans into Dean, who is more than happy to wrap him in his arms again. "So, uh, what are your guy's plans? Are you moving in with Dean?"

Castiel pauses for a moment and really has to think about that. He looks up at Dean with questioning eyes. "I do not know, honestly," he says and Dean raises an eyebrow as he holds out his hand briefly, taking the phone back.

"What did you ask?" Dean asks and Sam's response is murmured. Dean closes his eyes for a moment before looking down at Cas in question, asking if he would want to. Cas nods quickly, eyes wide because he hadn't known if Dean would offer or not. "Yeah, yeah, he'll be moved in by the time you get here, Sammy," Dean says and Cas can make out a _"Don't call me Sammy"_ before the rest of Sam's reply and Castiel smiles a bit fondly.

Dean brushes his hand through Castiel's hair softly, smiling down at him like he had been smiling earlier and Castiel nudges his hand up into the touch, returning the smile. Castiel had never felt like this with someone, so connected and so free. He had never felt so in love and he wasn't afraid like he thought he would be. Being with Dean was easy, and Castiel takes Dean's wrist softly, pulling his hand away from his hair and placing kisses along his palm. Dean's smile softens, as do his eyes, and he murmurs something to Sam before he hangs up.

Castiel's hands loosen on Dean's wrists as he shifts to cup Cas's cheek. "I want to learn everything about you, Castiel," Dean says and Castiel just nods a bit. Dean takes his hand and Castiel feels electricity shoot through him as Dean leads them to the couch and sits them down. He smiles at Castiel and Castiel squeezes his hand a bit.

"What would you like to know?" He asks softly and Dean's eyes fog for a moment as he seems to think and Castiel brushes his thumb over his knuckles a bit, humming softly as he thinks. Castiel likes that he does that. He likes how he thinks aloud without using words and he likes how when he's too absorbed in something else to give a verbal answer, he hums. He doesn't know why he likes it, but he does. He briefly wonders how well Dean sings and hopes one day he finds out.

"What's your favorite color?" Dean asks and Castiel smiles a bit. "I mean, I couldn't think of something else, and I didn't want to bombard you with some deep question. I'll start small," Dean explains and Castiel just nods before he thinks.

"Green," he settles for and Dean raises an eyebrow. "It had been coffee brown before I met you," Castiel admits feeling kind of sappy for saying so but Dean smiles wide now. "Am I allowed to ask you the same question?" He asks and Dean nods.

"You stole my line, though," Dean says and Castiel tilts his head a bit. "My favorite color is blue. But it's always been blue, so I guess that's one of the reasons I was so attracted to you," Dean murmurs and Castiel blushes a bit. "How old are you?" Dean asks, and Castiel laughs, because he would've thought that would've been Dean's first question.

"23," Castiel says honestly before adding, "My birthday is December 15th." Dean nods a bit, seeming to be marking down the date on a mental calendar.

"I'm 27 and my birthday is January 24th," he says and Castiel files away the information. "You're the same age as my brother," he murmurs after another moment before he moves on. "Favorite animal?"

"Bees," Castiel says immediately, without even thinking and Dean looks positively confused. "They are very interesting insects, I find them fascinating."

"Ah," Dean says in understanding, even if he still seems confused. "My favorite animal is an impala," Dean says a bit shyly, smiling softly. Castiel smiles at that, because he should've guessed. "Gotta love the animal my car is named after, right?"

"Yes, of course," Castiel agrees, shifting a bit closer to Dean and deciding to take the lead of the questions, curiosity getting the better of him. "What do you want most out of life?" He asks softly and Dean searches his eyes for a moment as he thinks.

"I want to be able to say I lived," Dean whispers and Castiel's free hand brushes through Dean's hair softly. "I want to be able to get up in the morning knowing I'm not wasting my life away by doing something that I won't be proud of later. I want a family of my own and I want to be as good as raising my kids as I was helping my dad raise my brother. I want to wake up next to someone who I can honestly say I love and I want to be able to do all of this so when my kids grow up and have their own kids, I can be that awesome grandpa with the 100 year old car with all the stories about their parents."

Castiel smiles at that, a sincere smile, because he never knew Dean would be so willing to have a family and be so willing to admit all of this. Castiel pulls Dean into a soft kiss, resting their foreheads together as he spoke. "There's not much I want out of life, all I want is to be happy with someone like you," Castiel whispers and Dean's free hand cups the back of Castiel's neck to pull him into another kiss. They stayed like that for a few moments, kissing softly and slowly before they both pulled back for air. "Tell me about your childhood," Castiel whispers.

Dean pauses for a moment and sighs a bit, not pulling away, but closing his eyes. "I didn't have much of one," Dean says honestly and Castiel frowns now, but doesn't push, was going to let Dean set the pace. "I was 4 when Sammy was born, my mom died in a fire a few months later, and I spent the rest of my childhood and even my years after that taking care of Sam and doing everything I could to make sure he had a good example. My dad worked his ass off with a guy who was practically my uncle and me and Sammy went to school. Not much more to it than that."

Castiel just nods slowly. "That must've been a lot of pressure," Castiel whispers and Dean shrugs, opening his eyes.

"It helped prepared me for life, I guess. It's gonna be a lot easier taking care of a baby when you're not 4 years old," Dean whispers back and Castiel exhales shakily. "You don't have to tell me anything if you don't want to."

"There's not much to tell on my part either," Castiel says with a half aborted shrug. "I grew up as an only child in a religious family, I didn't really have any friends, besides Balthazar, but he was more of a brother than a friend, and I served at my family's restaurant, where I learned I wanted to go to culinary college. My parents didn't like the idea, but I went and met Jack and then I ran away with him to here after my parents disowned me for being gay."

Dean's eyes went hard at that. "Your parents sound like dicks," Dean murmurs, hoping he wouldn't offend Castiel, but he merely shrugs.

"It was what they believed. I did not argue with them," Castiel says quietly and Dean cups his cheek gently, brushing his thumb along it.

"Looks like neither of us really had much of a childhood, huh?" He whispers softly and Castiel just sighs, moving to hide his face in Dean's neck. Dean decides to try and lighten the mood. "What's your favorite food? Mine's pie."

Castiel smiles a bit into the skin at Dean's neck and breathes slowly. "I love hamburgers, honestly," he murmurs and Dean chuckles softly. "It's my little secret though, because how would I stay so thin if I ate them all the time?"

Dean scoffs a bit. "I have a feeling you would stay thin whether you ate them or not," he says honestly and Castiel pulls back to look at him in a bit of disbelief.

"I would get fat quick," Castiel disagrees and Dean pursed his lips a bit.

"We sound like such girls," Dean says and a wide smile crosses Castiel's lips. "But, even if you were to gain a bit of weight, I wouldn't care, you're perfect to me no matter what. No chick flick meaning intended," Dean says and Castiel laughs.

"At least I know you're not one of those Neanderthals who think they shouldn't show their feelings," Castiel says, smiling softly. "I love you, Dean."

Dean smiles and kisses him gently. "I love you too, Cas."

**Aw! Isn't it so cute?! :D I hope you don't think I'm gonna keep it all nice… Hehehe…  
Be prepared for all the drama and angst in the next chapter: The **_**last**_** chapter of this part of the story.  
R&R!**


	16. Chapter 15

**Chapter Rating: T  
Chapter Wordcount: 2,348  
Disclaimer: ****I do not own any of the Supernatural characters, they belong to Eric Kripke (whose work I love).  
Warning: Cursing, alcoholism, mentions of rape, religious subtext, violence, suicide**

* * *

Castiel stays at Dean's for a week's time, getting dropped off at his jobs and going back to Dean's every night for something that "normal couples did" and everyday Castiel was more and more ready to go get his stuff and move out. Dean was perfect to him, but Dean's job seemed pretty stressful for how much he got headaches when he brought his work home. Castiel would do anything to help him during those times. He would massage his shoulders and just shower him in love, and Dean would tell him how he was too good for Dean. Castiel would disagree every time and they would bicker softly back and forth before one of them silenced the other with a kiss. It was Friday night though and they were both free for the night. Castiel decided this would be the best time as any to bring up the topic of moving in with Dean.

"Dean," Castiel whispers as they settled down to begin watching a movie that was on the television. He was tucked tightly against Dean's side, feeling small as he looked up at Dean through his lashes slightly. "Dean, I wish to speak to you about something." The words themselves make Dean instantly tense, as if they could be a bad thing, but as soon as Castiel's fingers trail down his torso, he knows it wasn't bad.

Dean relaxes again, eyes half-lidding as he hums in enjoyment. Castiel smiles a bit, but knows he can't get off the topic. "I'm here to talk, Cas," Dean murmurs to him, looking at him with a smile. "Always willing to talk to you about anything."

Castiel decides it's best to be blunt on the situation. "I wish to go to my apartment tonight, if possible, and pack up my belongings."

Dean is shocked speechless at the blunt statement, and he stares at Castiel like he had suddenly grown a few extra limbs. "Uh…" Dean says dumbly as he tries to process what he just heard. Castiel gnaws on his lip in a sudden rush of nervousness.

"I-I'm sorry, Dean. Did I misinterpret your message to Sam? You told him that I would be moved in by the time he was here and I just assumed…" Castiel trails off, and is starting to get off the couch. Dean is quick to grab his wrist though.

"Whoa! Hey hey hey, I didn't say that!" Dean says quickly, tugging Castiel back down and into his lap as he lets his hand rub soothingly along Castiel's body. "You just caught me off guard is all, Cas. I didn't mean to make you feel like you're not welcome here. You're always going to be welcomed here, no matter what."

Castiel relaxes against Dean quickly, sighing a bit as he closes his eyes. "I want him to be out of my life as soon as possible. I do not want to have to deal with the possibilities of waiting any longer and him possibly harming what we have, Dean."

Dean hushes Castiel softly, kissing his neck as his hands still. "We'll go over there soon, okay? We'll go get your stuff and we'll get you settled in here so we don't have to worry about him ever again. Does that sound good?" He asks him as he nuzzles at the back of his shoulder blades, nipping slightly just to try to get some sort of a response from his boyfriend.

Castiel can only nod as he sighs a bit. Dean was always doing things that Castiel had never thought would feel good, but whatever Dean did seemed to have a positive effect on him. "We need to go soon though, before my courage is too lost to face him. I have been preparing myself for this night for a week, Dean."

Dean nods in understanding and wraps his arms around Castiel softly. "I'm going to be right there beside you, Cas. Right here to help you through whatever you need to have help through," Dean whispers in his ear, basking in the enjoyment of the shiver that ran through Castiel at the close proximity. He kisses his ear and Castiel makes a soft noise. "When do you wanna go get your stuff, Cas?" Dean asks as he leans away, causing Castiel to look at him with darkened eyes.

"In a bit," Castiel says, but he's already climbing into Dean's lap, and Dean knows what he's done. Dean grins a bit wicked.

"So much for movie night, huh?" He asks, still grinning. Castiel responds to the grin by pulling off his own shirt and Dean's last thought on the matter of movie night was _Oh well_.

* * *

Dean pulls up to the apartment building with a bit of hatred in his veins. He parks the Impala and glances over at Castiel. "Are you sure you want to do this now?" He asks. The other male had been fidgeting the entire ride over, and was now paler than he normally was. Dean, happily, noticed that the bruises along Castiel's body were fading and his skin was actually becoming visible. He was even getting some color back to him since he wasn't on a strict schedule of work then home, then repeat.

Castiel just nods though, swallowing hard. "It's now or never, Dean, and I wish for this to happen, so our only option is _now._" Castiel looks over at Dean, the fear towards this house, this life, showing in them, and Dean bites his lip.

Dean unbuckles his seatbelt and spread his arms a bit as he turns in the bench seat. "C'mere," he whispers to Castiel, who unbuckles his own seatbelt and practically lurches into Dean's arms, clutching at him tightly as his body trembles. Dean wraps his arms around him and does his best to calm him. "Shh, it's okay, Cas. I'm here. He's not going to hurt you anymore. I've got you.." Dean whispers to him as Castiel's trembling gets worse. Dean realizes, painfully, that Castiel is crying. He doesn't know what he can do to help, so he decides to let it run its course.

Castiel isn't sure how long they stay like this, with him crying in Dean's arms in front of his old apartment, but finally he stops crying and he takes a deep breath. He pulls back from Dean's embrace, notices the soft, questioning look Dean is giving him, and he nods. "I'm ready," he whispers to him.

Dean nods and they both get out of the Impala, closing the doors as softly as they could. It was only about 10 PM, the city was still going wild, and they entered the apartment building, where Castiel leads the rest of the way to the door. They pause for a moment outside, because were they to knock, or just walk in? It was Castiel's apartment anyway, but…

Before they could worry about it too much, Jack opens the door a bit roughly, glaring at them, because he knows why they're there. Castiel begins trembling again, and Dean places a soft hand on his upper arm as he looks at Jack with hatred burning in every inch of his eyes. Then, Dean speaks.

"We're here for his stuff. It'll be easy on you if it's easy on us," he says, and Jack just glares harder at him, like he wishes looks could kill. Dean just returns the look, hand tightening ever so slightly on Castiel's arm. Castiel leans back into him, body still shaking as they both look at other individual.

"You have 15 minutes," is all Jack says as he opens the door wider to allow them both inside. They walk in, and the smell of alcohol is almost suffocating. Castiel sways a bit under the fumes, and Dean is forced to keep him steady as he helps him to the bedroom, where the fumes aren't as strong.

"I need a few minutes to myself," Castiel whispers to Dean when they reach the bedroom, and Dean nods, because he's not going to follow Castiel everywhere. Castiel made it known that he wants to be with Dean, and Dean trusts him.

Dean leaves the room respectfully, closing the door a bit behind him, before he goes to the living room where Jack is sitting on the couch, drinking straight from a bottle of scotch, giving him another glare. Dean just leans against the wall and looks right back at him, because he isn't afraid of him. Dean can honestly say that he's never been afraid of someone like Jack, because Dean isn't afraid of cowards.

"You corrupted him," Jack sneers at Dean after a few moments of silence, and Dean ducks his head a bit, smirking to himself. "You're an evil bastard who broke a loving relationship by corrupting a naïve boy."

Dean just shrugs, because he really doesn't want to say anything. He just wants Castiel to pack his stuff so they can leave and forget all about Jack. Jack isn't anyone that deserves to be care about anyway.

"Say something!" Jack demands when he sees he's not getting a rise out of Dean. "Say something, you bastard!" And Dean looks up just in time to miss the bottle that is thrown at him. It shatters and Dean cringes. Castiel probably heard that and would be coming any time now, but Dean didn't want Cas anywhere near Jack when he had bottles everywhere.

"Dean?" Cas called, letting Dean know he had in fact heard the shattering glass.

"Stay in there, Castiel. Pack your things so we can get out of here," Dean calls back, making sure the other knows he was okay. When he doesn't hear the door open, he knows Castiel decides to listen to him.

"You took him away from me," Jack snaps at him, standing up, and Dean moves as well so he doesn't get trapped against the wall. "You took him away from me and you don't even care about how I feel on the matter! You don't know what he meant to me!" Jack snarls at him.

"He obviously meant jack shit to you. You laid your hands on him and that made him fair game for everyone else out there who wouldn't dare to even touch him unless he was okay with it," Dean says back lowly, his eyes burning with hatred again because Jack was acting like he was the victim in this situation. "You were beating him, Jack, hell, you were probably even _raping _him!"

"I didn't do anything he didn't deserve!" Jack barks, throwing another bottle. Dean dodges the bottle again and clenches his hands; he wanted to rip Jack apart.

"_He deserved_ everything you did to him?" Dean asks, fuming as adrenaline is pumping through his entire being. "He didn't deserve anything you did to him! He didn't deserve you hitting him, he didn't deserve you acting superior over him, he didn't deserve you taking what you wanted and throwing the rest aside! He did everything for you, Jack! He worked 2 jobs, made you dinner, provided you sexually; everything! He was trying to keep you happy because you put it in his head that he wasn't worth anything! You know what though, Jack? The only reason you did anything was because you knew that it was you that you were talking about! You aren't worth a damn thing, no one like you is!"

Jack's eyes were conflicted, hatred and pain mixing together as he picks up another bottle. "Shut up! You don't know anything! Castiel was the one who went against his parents, went against the word of God!" He sneers. "You don't know anything, _Dean_, not a damn thing!" He chucks the bottle again, harder this time, and Dean contemplates letting it hit him, just to let Jack get it out of his system, but Dean then sidesteps it. He cringes when it hits a clock on the wall and breaks both of them.

Dean then looks back up at Jack and stops cold. "Jack, wait-," Dean starts out, but his words are drowned out.

Castiel is just finishing packing up when a loud bang erupts throughout the apartment, which is followed after by another, or so Castiel thinks. His ears are ringing and his body shakes from the sound. He had never heard one in such close regions, but he knows what it was. The bags in his hands drop and he's out of the room.

He stops short when he reaches the living room and his head goes light. The carpet is beginning to be stained with red, and Castiel's eyes lock on the weapon that he knew made such a horrid sound. A gun.

Castiel's head spins after that and his shoulder collides with the wall as he falls to the ground, eyes closing.

They open again a short time later when the police are arriving and he looks up at the police officer who was moving towards him. They pick him up and help him outside, where everyone in the neighborhoods and the apartment building were gather. Castiel's lungs are hurting as he looks around him, at all the people who are giving him worried looks. He briefly wonders why they hadn't worried before, because only one person worried.

_Dean_, a voice in his head whispers to him, and the panic sets in. "Dean," Castiel whispers, repeating the name until he was yelling it, trying to get to the apartment again. "Dean!" Castiel cries out, and they have to restrain him. He sobs shakily, and sees two stretchers come out. One's covered with a white tarp and the other isn't. Castiel can't tell which is which from his spot, and he sobs. "Dean!" He cries again.

Then, from somewhere to his side, he hears a police officer somewhere to his side reporting to someone.

"Two males, both in their early twenties. IDs and residents say that they were Jack Hubertson and Dean Winchester. Attempted homicide and suicide. Jack Hubertson fired the gun, twice is what residents say. Suicide was successful, attempted homicide victim still fighting."

* * *

_**End of Part One**_


End file.
